C-1 Visas

The U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of State suspended the Transit Without Visa program (TWOV) and the International-to-International transit program (ITI), on August 2, 2003.  This action affects passengers who are traveling from one point outside the U.S. with a stop for transit purposes within the U.S.  However, it does not affect U.S. citizens or citizens from visa waiver countries. Visit the Bureau of Consular Affairs website for more information.

In general, persons in transit through the United States require valid C-1 visas unless they are eligible to transit the United States visa free under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), or they are a national of a country which has an agreement with the United States allowing their citizens to travel to the United States without visas (Canada, Bermuda, Mexico) READ MORE.

If you are not eligible to transit the United States under the VWP, or are not a national of a country where visa requirements are waived, you will be required to apply for a transit (C-1) visa before traveling.

All C-1 visa applicants, even children and babies listed in parents' passports require individual visas.  Separate applications must be submitted for each applicant traveling.  To apply for a C-1 visa, please visit the Visa Information Service and How to Apply for A Visa pages of this site.

Applicants should apply for visas well before the anticipated date of travel. No assurances regarding the issuance of visas can be given in advance. Therefore, final travel plans or the purchase of nonrefundable tickets should not be made until a visa has been issued.

Additional Administrative Processing :

Some visa applications are subject to Additional Administrative Processing and in these instances visa applications will take longer to process to conclusion.  You will be advised at the time of the interview if your application requires additional processing. Such applications include applicants who have a criminal conviction, are HIV positive, have a medical ineligibility, have been denied entry into or deported from the United States.