United States of America

USA

Covid-19 travel restrictions

Travel restrictions due to covid-19

All travel restrictions due to Covid-19 have been lifted.

Entry and visa

Entry:

You do not need a visa if you are staying in the United States for vacation or business for less than 90 days. For business trips, you can stay up to 90 days to:

  • hold meetings and negotiations.
  • to visit customers and/or suppliers

Instead of a visa, you must apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). Travelers who do not have a valid ESTA are prohibited from checking in at the airport. Minor children also need their own ESTA. Only travelers entering the United States by land or who have an American visa or passport do not need an ESTA. The ESTA application is completely digital, so you do not have to go to the American consulate.

Applying for an ESTA

An ESTA is an entry permit that you must obtain in order to enter the United States without a visa. You can apply for this entry permit quickly and easily online using the application form. The cost is $14 per person.

On the official website, you find all information about the application process and FAQ.

Travelers who do not have a valid ESTA are already prohibited from checking in at the airport.

f you need an ESTA urgently, please use “urgent application” in the form on this website. Your application will then be processed with priority and generally approved after around 60 minutes. Once your ESTA has been issued, you will receive confirmation via email and SMS. You do not need to have this confirmation with you as a printout, so it is even possible to submit the application at the airport.

You can submit the application here: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/

Validity

An ESTA is valid for two years from the date of issue. During this period of validity, you may enter the United States as many times as you wish, for both tourism and business purposes. However, each individual stay may not exceed 90 consecutive days. Interim or subsequent stays in Canada, Mexico or on any Caribbean island will be included in this 90-day period. If your passport with which you applied has expired, your ESTA will also expire.

If you have already applied for ESTA in the past, you can check your ESTA status here.

Entry Restrictions

You may not be employed in the United States with an ESTA. However, you may do paid work if your employer is based outside the United States. Note: An ESTA is not sufficient if you carry out journalistic activities in the USA, invest in companies, start a company or want to attend a (university) school.

Important rules for using the ESTA USA

  • Upon arrival in the United States, you must provide proof of your intention to leave the United States with a return or onward ticket.
    For a trip to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the US Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands you also need an ESTA USA or a visa.
  • Wenn Sie nach dem 1. März 2011 im Iran, im Irak, in Syrien, im Sudan, im Jemen, in Libyen, in Nord-Korea oder in Somalia gewesen sind, oder wenn Sie jemals die Staatsangehörigkeit eines dieser Länder hatten, können Sie keinen ESTA Antrag stellen.
  • Wenn Sie den oben genannten Kriterien nicht entsprechen, können Sie ausgewiesen und alle künftigen Anträge für Einreisegenehmigungen in die USA bereits im Voraus abgelehnt werden.
  • If you have been to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, North Korea or Somalia after March 1, 2011, or if you have ever had the citizenship of any of these countries, you cannot Apply for an ESTA.
  • If you do not meet the above criteria, you may be expelled and all future US travel authorization applications may be denied in advance.

Applying for a visa

You must apply for a US visa if you:

  • intend to stay in the United States for more than 90 consecutive days.
  • not travel to the United States for tourism or business purposes.
  • want to work in the US (enter employment in the US).
  • not be admitted under the Immigration and Nationality Act (212).
  • travel to the United States by private plane or your own ship
  • have been to Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Yemen, Syria, Libya, North Korea or Somalia since March 1, 2011 or had or have the nationality of one of these countries.
  • Traveling on an airline or shipping company that is not recognized in the Visa Waiver Program

→ Types of visa

Restrictions:

Please also note what is not allowed with a B-1 visa, B-2 visa or the combination B-1/B-2:

  • You are not allowed to study or attend school in the United States.
  • You may not work for a US employer (including internship, volunteer work, or au pair employment).
  • You may not receive payment for performances or commercial services.

Required documents:

If you are applying for a nonimmigrant visa to the United States, use what is known as the DS-160 form. Fill out the DS-160 form online:

https://ceac.state.gov/genniv/

After filling in and sending the form, you have to do it yourself, either on the Embassy's website or by calling Tel. +49 (0)322-2109-3243 or (0)62047050390 to make an appointment for an interview at the American embassy or consulate.During this interview, the consulate or embassy staff will ask you questions about the verification of your visa application. Children up to the age of 13 and people who are 80 years of age and older generally do not have to take part in this - otherwise mandatory - interview.

If you want to apply for a visa, you need the following documents:

  • Two current photographs
  • A valid passport that is valid for at least six months from the date of departure
  • The completed visa application form and:
  • proof of your health insurance policy.
  • Proof that you have sufficient financial means for your stay in the USA.
  • Documents with which you make credible what exactly you will do in the USA. (This could be airline tickets, an itinerary, booking confirmation, acceptance letter from a university, or a letter from your prospective employer in the United States.)

    Documents and information about yourself, your family and your visit to the United States will be required to evaluate your visa application. Please answer the questions correctly and completely to avoid delays in processing your visa application.

 

Entry requirements

Please check on yoiu respective embassy which documents you need in order to travel to the USA.

Usually you will need:

  • Passport: Yes, with ESTA or visa
  • Preliminary passport: Yes, sometimes only with visa
  • Child passport: Yes, sometimes only with visa

The requirements of individual airlines regarding the documents to be carried by their passengers differ in part from the government regulations.

  •      If necessary, please check with your airline before travelling.
  •     Carry your passport or a copy of your passport with entry stamp or visa with you at all times.

Visa-free entry

As a participant in the US Visa Waiver Programme, EU citizens can enter the US visa-free for tourism, business or transit purposes, provided they have an electronic passport (e-passport with chip), a valid electronic entry permit (ESTA) and a valid return or onward flight ticket.

Visa Application

A basic distinction is made between immigrant and non-immigrant visa:

Nonimmigrant Visa: For temporary travel to the United States, such as tourism, work, study, or an exchange programme.

Immigrant Visa: For foreign citizens wishing to reside permanently in the United States.

 

Nonimmigrant visas

The "B" visitor visa is a nonimmigrant visa for individuals who wish to travel to the United States for a temporary stay for business (B-1) or private visits (B-2). More information on the visa category and the application process.

Temporary employment: In principle, taking up work in the USA – no matter how short the period – is only possible with a work visa. Further information on the visa category and the application process.

Studies and exchange:

F-visa – students (academic studies, school or language school)
J-Visa – participants in exchange programs
M-Visa – Students in vocational or recognized non-academic program

Further information on the visa category and the application process.

A personal interview at the US Embassy or a US Consulate General must be arranged for each visa application

- either online via the visa profile or by telephone via the US consulate call center.

- If you arrange the appointment online via your visa profile, you can view and book the appointments that are still available at the US consulates in a calendar.

  • Children under the age of 14 do not have to appear for the visa interview.


All applicants must present the following documents at the visa interview

  • Valid passport
  • Application Form DS-160
  • photo
  • appointment confirmation

Important:

  • Completing the DS-160 application form will not automatically schedule a visa interview. You must make an appointment for the visa interview separately.
  • Please see “Required Documents” to see if your visa category requires additional forms to be submitted.
  • The consular officer will only process your application based on the documents presented to him at the visa interview.
  • Documents sent to the Consulate General by fax or e-mail before the application is submitted cannot be taken into account when processing the application.
  • The visa interview and the application forms are designed in such a way that all necessary information is requested.

Apply for a Family or Group Visa

  • If you wish to apply for a U.S. nonimmigrant visa, regardless of the type of visa, you must submit the application using the online Form DS-160.
  • This web-based application form must be completed by each applicant.
  • This also applies to families or groups.
  • If multiple members of a family or group are applying for a U.S. visa, each member must complete a separate DS-160, regardless of the age of the applicant.

In the case of families or groups, applicants have two options:

  1. Each applicant fills out a DS-160 for
     
  2. A family or group member first fills out a DS-160 and follows the instructions on the "Thank You" page at the bottom of the DS-160 form to create a family or group application
  • If you select the second option, certain information from the initial application, e.g. the travel destination in the USA, automatically transfer to a new application, which can be used or filled out by the next family or group member.
  • This saves you from entering some data twice.
  • However, please note that if you choose the second option, you will still need to complete a separate DS-160 for each family or group member.

Safety information

The US has been severely affected by COVID-19. Current and detailed figures are provided by the US health authority Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the World Health Organization (WHO).

Also, be sure to read the Federal Foreign Office's security and crime safety advisories.

Money and banking

  • A credit card is almost indispensable in the USA.
  • Almost all credit cards are accepted.
  • You can withdraw cash from ATMs using a credit card and PIN.
  • Bank cards with the V-Pay logo cannot be read in the USA and therefore cannot be used.
  • The exchange of euro notes into US dollars is not possible at all banks, but generally – for a fee – limited to exchange offices, which are not available in all areas.
  • Bank transfers from Germany to the USA can take several days and involve significant fees.

Housing

General information


Unlike in Europe, only the number of bedrooms and bathrooms is given in apartment advertisements, in contrast to Germany, where the living room and kitchen are also counted as rooms: 2 bedrooms, 1 bath = 2 bedrooms, 1 living room plus or incl. kitchen, 1 bathroom

In contrast to Europe, the apartments are measured and stated in square feet: 1 square feet (square foot) = approx. 0.09 square meters

You can roughly remember the key 1/10 when you look through the apartment advertisements on site or when you are told the information in squarefeet by an agent.

Benchmarks:

50 m2     ~540 sq ft
100 m2  ~1075 sq ft
150 m2   ~1600 sq ft

Rental Agreements

  • As a rule, rental contracts are issued for no longer than 1 year, often for an even shorter period.
  • Leases for 1 month or half a year are also not uncommon.
  • Unless otherwise stated in the rental agreement, the rental relationship is then automatically converted into a month-to-month agreement, which can be terminated by either party with a notice period of 30 days to the end of the month.
  • The termination must be made in writing.
  • In the US, credit card information and/or household insurance (renters insurance) is often requested as security in addition to or instead of the deposit (security deposit) customary in Europe.
  • A rental agreement can only be concluded after this data has been checked.

Rent and utilities

  • rent is the monthly rent that you pay directly to the landlord.
  • gross rent is the rent including utilities. This includes the costs for waste disposal, electricity, heating, water and gas as well as any other costs.

The additional costs for electricity, heating, water and gas depend on the respective apartment and its location and are usually calculated individually. In the US, meters are usually read monthly and billed every two months or quarterly.

accommodation search

Accommodation search for shorter stays

Hotel booking tips

bed size

  • queensize is about 1.52 meters wide so it can be used as a double bed. However, it only has one ceiling.
  • kingsize is about 1.93 meters wide.
  • double bed or full bed is only about 1.37 meters wide.

WLAN / Wi-Fi - If it says WLAN is available on the homepage, this means that there is an extra charge. WiFi 
 

means WLAN is included in the rent.

Accommodation search for medium and long term stays

United States in general

New York

Washington

Cambridge/Boston