As per the International Air Transport Association, the United States of America ranks 7th among the world’s most powerful passports.
This power allows US passport holders to visit most nations worldwide for work or leisure without a visa.
Some of US passport holders’ most popular visa-free destinations include the Bahamas, Canada, the UK, Japan, Singapore, and France.
Read on to find out which countries require visas and which do not and what a Visa Waiver Program is.
Key Takeaways:
- US passport holders can travel visa-free to 186 countries worldwide, like Japan, Singapore, and most European countries.
- About a minimum of 26 countries require US passport holders to obtain a visa.
- A few participating countries for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) allow foreign nationals to travel to the United States visa-free for up to 90 days.
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Where Can You Travel To Without a Visa?
A considerable number of countries, about 186, grant US passport holders visa-free for short-term stays.
These short-term stays vary from 30, 60, 90 days, and even up to 12 months, depending on the country of destination, while longer stays or more than a year typically require a visa.
The countries listed below are the visa-free countries for the United States and the maximum number of days permitted to stay.
OCEANIA
- the Cook Islands
- Fiji (up to 120 days)
- French Polynesia (up to 90 days)
- Guam
- Kiribati (up to 30 days)
- The Marshall Islands (up to 30 days)
- Micronesia (up to 30 days)
- New Caledonia (up to 90 days)
- Niue
- Northern Mariana Islands
- Palau Islands (up to 1 year)
- Vanuatu (up to 30 days)
MIDDLE EAST
- Armenia (up to 180 days)
- Israel (up to 90 days)
- Oman
- Palestinian Territory
- Qatar
EUROPE
- Albania (up to 1 year)
- Andorra (up to 90 days)
- Austria (up to 90 days)
- Belgium (up to 90 days)
- Bosnia and Herzegovina (up to 90 days)
- Bulgaria (up to 90 days)
- Croatia (up to 90 days)
- Cyprus (up to 90 days)
- Czech Republic (up to 90 days)
- Denmark (up to 90 days)
- Estonia (up to 90 days)
- Faroe Islands
- Finland (up to 90 days)
- France (up to 90 days)
- Georgia (up to 1 year)
- Germany (up to 90 days)
- Gibraltar
- Greece (up to 90 days)
- Greenland
- Guernsey
- Hungary (up to 90 days)
- Iceland (up to 90 days)
- Ireland (up to 90 days)
- Italy (up to 90 days)
- Kosovo (up to 90 days)
- Latvia (up to 90 days)
- Liechtenstein (up to 90 days)
- Lithuania (up to 90 days)
- Luxembourg (up to 90 days)
- Malta (up to 90 days)
- Moldova (up to 90 days)
- Monaco (up to 90 days)
- Montenegro (up to 90 days)
- Netherlands (up to 90 days)
- North Macedonia (up to 90 days)
- Norway (up to 90 days)
- Poland (up to 90 days)
- Portugal (up to 90 days)
- Romania (up to 90 days)
- San Marino (up to 90 days)
- Serbia (up to 90 days)
- Slovakia (up to 90 days)
- Slovenia (up to 90 days)
- Spain (up to 90 days)
- Sweden (up to 90 days)
- Switzerland (up to 90 days)
- Ukraine (up to 90 days)
- United Kingdom (up to 90 days)
- Vatican City (up to 90 days)
ASIA
- Brunei (up to 90 days)
- Hong Kong (SAR China) (up to 90 days)
- Indonesia (up to 30 days)
- Japan (up to 90 days)
- Kazakhstan (up to 30 days)
- Kyrgyzstan
- Macao (SAR China)
- Malaysia (up to 90 days)
- Mongolia (up to 90 days)
- Philippines (up to 30 days)
- Singapore (up to 90 days)
- South Korea (up to 90 days)
- Taiwan (Chinese Taipei) (up to 90 days)
- Thailand (up to 30 days)
- Uzbekistan
AFRICA
- Botswana (up to 90 days)
- The Central African Republic (up to 180 days)
- Equatorial Guinea (up to 90 days)
- Swatini
- Lesotho (up to 180 days)
- Mauritius (up to 60 days)
- Mayotte
- Morocco (up to 90 days)
- Namibia
- Reunion
- Sao Tome
- Principe
- Senegal
- South Africa (up to 90 days)
- Tunisia (up to 90 days)
AMERICAS
- American Samoa (up to 60 days)
- Argentina (up to 90 days)
- Belize (up to 30 days)
- Bermuda
- Brazil
- Canada (up to 180 days)
- Chile (up to 90 days)
- Colombia (up to 90 days)
- Costa Rica (up to 90 days)
- Ecuador (up to 90 days)
- El Salvador (up to 90 days)
- Falkland Islands
- French Guiana (up to 90 days)
- Guatemala (up to 90 days)
- Guyana (up to 90 days)
- Honduras (up to 90 days)
- Mexico (up to 180 days)
- Nicaragua (up to 90 days)
- Panama (up to 180 days)
- Peru (up to 180 days)
- Uruguay (up to 90 days)
CARIBBEAN
- Anguilla (up to 90 days)
- Antigua and Barbuda (up to 180 days)
- Aruba (up to 30 days)
- Bahamas (up to 240 days)
- Barbados (up to 180 days)
- The British Virgin Islands (up to 30 days)
- the Cayman Islands (up to 30 days)
- Curacao (up to 180 days)
- Dominica (up to 180 days)
- Dominican Republic (up to 30 days)
- French West Indies
- Grenada (up to 90 days)
- Haiti (up to 90 days)
- Jamaica (up to 90 days)
- Montserrat (up to 180 days)
- Puerto Rico
- St. Kitts and Nevis (up to 90 days)
- St. Lucia (up to 30 days)
- St. Maarten (up to 90 days)
- St. Vincent and the Grenadines (up to 30 days)
- Trinidad and Tobago (up to 90 days)
- Turks and Caicos Islands (up to 90 days)
- US Virgin Islands (up to 30 days)
What Countries Require a Visa For US Citizens?
There are more than 26 countries that require visas for US passport holders where you have to apply from an Embassy or Consular.
The visa requirements may depend on many factors, such as the purpose of travel, length of stay, number of entries, and more.
To ensure, check with the embassy of the country you plan to go to determine the whole visa application process.
OCEANIA
- Nauru
MIDDLE EAST
- Iran
- Syria
- Yemen
EUROPE
- Azerbaijan
- Belarus
- Russia
- Turkey
CARIBBEAN
- Cuba
ASIA
- Afghanistan
- Bhutan
- China
- North Korea
- Turkmenistan
- Vietnam
AMERICAS
- Suriname
- Venezuela
AFRICA
- Algeria
- Cameroon
- Chad
- The Democratic Republic of the Congo
- the Republic of Congo
- Eritrea
- Ghana
- Ivory Coast
- Liberia
- Libya
- Mali
- Niger
- Nigeria
- South Sudan
- Sudan
Aside from this, as a US citizen, you can obtain a VOA OR Visa on Arrival (typically single entry) in selected countries where you need to queue at the immigration office of the international airport to fill out some necessary documents and pay for the fee in cash.
The countries that offer visas on arrival or VOA for US citizens are listed below.
- Bangladesh
- Bolivia
- Burkina Faso
- Burundi
- Comoros
- Iraq
- Jordan
- Mauritania
- Mozambique
- Nepal
- Papua New Guinea
- Lebanon
- Maldives
- Tonga
- Tuvalu
- Solomon Islands
- Seychelles
- United Arab Emirates
- Sierra Leone
- Somalia
- Timor-Leste
- Togo
However, many of the VOA countries also provide E-visas for US travelers.
The immigration procedure at the border could be sped up considerably by applying for an E-visa.
An electronic visa or E-visa is applied online and linked to your passport or either single entry or multiple entries.
Shown below are the countries where you can get an E-visa.
- Angola
- Azerbaijan
- Bahrain
- Beni
- Cambodia
- Djibouti
- Egypt
- Ethiopia
- Guinea
- Guinea-Bissau
- India
- Ivory Coast
- Kenya
- Kuwait
- Laos
- Madagascar
- Malawi
- Myanmar
- Pakistan
- Rwanda
- Saudi Arabia
- South Sudan
- Tanzania
- Turkey
- Uganda
- Uzbekistan
- Vietnam
- Zambia
- Zimbabwe
What is the Visa Waiver Program?
The Visa Waiver Program is a program by the US government that allows citizens or nationals of selected countries to travel to the US without obtaining a visa for business or leisure for up to 90 days.
To be qualified for the Visa Waiver Program, citizens must have a valid and approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which travelers are required to apply online 72 hours before they travel to the US.
Travelers must also possess a machine-readable passport or e-passport valid for at least six months before departure. They must have no criminal records or previous immigration violations.
Note that VWP doesn’t permit travelers to study (for credit), work as an employee, or work on permanent residency.
Some activities permitted to travelers while under the VWP are shown below.
Tourism
- Tourism
- Holiday Vacations
- Visitation with relatives or friends
- Scheduled medical treatments
- A short recreational course of study not credited for a degree
- Social events participation like social and service organizational events
- Contest participation like musicals and sports
Business
- Business consultations
- Attends professional, educational, and business conventions or conferences
- Contract negotiation
- Attends short-term training
How Many Countries Are in the Visa Waiver Program?
About 40 ESTA countries worldwide are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program by the United States, whereas most are in Western Europe. Here is the comprehensive list of countries eligible for the program.
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brunei
- Chile
- Croatia
- the Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Malta
- Monaco
- the Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan*
- United Kingdom
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