In general, a citizen of a foreign country who seeks to enter the United States temporarily must first obtain a U.S. nonimmigrant visa, which is placed in the traveler’s passport.
For information regarding the new VWP/ESTA eligibility requirements, click here.
Diplomats & Other Government Officials
Government officials traveling to the United States to perform non-governmental functions of a commercial nature or traveling as tourists require the appropriate H, L or B visa, or if qualified, travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program; they do not qualify for diplomatic or official visas.
See All Visas
The chart on this page contains many different purposes of temporary travel and the related nonimmigrant visa categories available at Travel.State.gov.