USA Visa question and Visa waiver

MikeF1

Hi all,

I went to Florida last January to work as a photographer, and had to apply for and was accepted for a media visa.

Looking at the visa in my passport, it is valid until 2018, and for multiple entries to the USA.

We are going to California in a few weeks for a holiday, for which we would normally use the visa waiver program, but I am not sure if I need this.

I'm struggling to find any concrete information as to whether I can travel with my current visa, or as I am going as a tourist and not a member of the media it is not valid.

Any advice appreciated!

Thanks,

Mike

shaun_from_Africa

What type of visa do you have? It will be on the visa itself.

The chances are that if you check it, it will state B1/B2. If this is the case then you will be fine. B1 means it is for business use and B2 is a tourist visa.
Even though a B1 is for business only, you will probably be okay for tourism if this is what you have but for the sake of $14 for an ESTA it's not really worth the risk. (assuming that you are eligible for the visa waiver program).

Voyager2002

shaun_from_Africa wrote: »

What type of visa do you have? It will be on the visa itself.

The chances are that if you check it, it will state B1/B2. If this is the case then you will be fine. B1 means it is for business use and B2 is a tourist visa.
Even though a B1 is for business only, you will probably be okay for tourism if this is what you have but for the sake of $14 for an ESTA it's not really worth the risk. (assuming that you are eligible for the visa waiver program).

Don't you still need an ESTA even if you use a visa?

shaun_from_Africa

Voyager2002 wrote: »

Don't you still need an ESTA even if you use a visa?

No, in fact, if you have a visa that is valid for the purpose you are visiting the US then you shouldn't even apply for an ESTA as an ESTA is part of the visa waiver program and how can you waive a visa if you already hold one?

I have 2 passports (a UK one and an Irish one) and my UK one has a B1/B2 visa and the Irish one has an ESTA.
This is because I often go to the US for training courses and meetings and need a visa for this.

On checking, I would say that the OP actually has an "I" category visa. If this is the case then it appears to only be valid when entering for media work and I would think that an ESTA is definitely required for tourism.
http://london.usembassy.gov/niv/media2.html

codger

I had an "I" visa for years and years, pre-dating by some considerable time the era of ESTA. The visa was renewable only at Grosvenor Square and I was in and out of the US so often, it never seemed to matter whether it was media-related business or straightforward vacationing. But everything changed after 9/11. Nowadays, any visa holder needs to read the fine print down to the last dot and comma and use that visa ONLY for the purpose it was issued. An 'I' visa is not issued for people to go holiday in the USA. At $7 a year (less than £4) for a two-year waiver, the ESTA is the quickest, simplest and cheapest way of ensuring you get through US Immigration on arrival without a hitch. Is it really worth risking disaster for the sake of saving a few quid???

PeacefulWaters

codger wrote: »

At $7 a year (less than £4)

Please can I buy $7,000 from you.