Netherlands


 

Travel to the USA

Entry requirements for travellers to US

For security reasons, entry requirements for travellers to the US have been intensified. This includes passport requirements, an online application form that needs to be filled in previously to the trip (ESTA), and the address where you will stay while in the United States (APIS). Also, US customs applies a stricter policy. Click below for more information about:

 

 

Online application form (ESTA-system)

Travellers to the US with a passport from a country that is part of the Visa Waiver Program, such as The Netherlands, must answer a few questions through the new online system (ESTA). The questions are regarding passport and medical details and legal or criminal aspects etc.

 

The entered data will be valid for two years or until the passport expires. More information about this new rule (optional for departures until 12 January 2009) can be found on the official site of the US Government.

 

Access the ESTA website directly

 

Digital picture in passport

Countries that are part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), such as The Netherlands, must produce passports with digital photographs. Travellers with a passport from a non-VWP country must apply for a visa when travelling to the US. More>

 

Facial scan in passport

The passport must contain a facial scan. Dutch passports are provided with a facial scan since 2006. The picture submitted when applying for a passport will be scanned. A digital image of that scan will be stored in the chip of the passport. The chip also contains name, first name(s), date of birth, gender, document number, citizen service number and expiration date of the passport.

 

Provide address in the US (APIS-form)

Airlines are obliged to transfer the details of the passengers’ first accommodation in the USA to the American authorities before departure. In accordance with this, passengers need to fill in an APIS-form (Advanced Passenger Information System). Travellers that rent a car or motor home directly on arrival in the US, also need to provide an -as complete as possible- address of the final destination. For more information about the transfer of passengers' information, see the amplification of the European Commission.

 

The following details of the residence in the United States are required for non-US citizens:

 

  • Street name and number
  • City
  • State
  • Postal Code

 

Exceptions

The following passengers don’t need to provide an address within the US:

 

  • Passengers residing in the United States;
  • Transfer passengers with a destination outside of the United States and a transfer time of up to 8 hours. They can suffice with “Transit to Non-US country” and the flight number of the connecting flight;
  • Passengers who are going to make a cruise. They can suffice with “Transit to Cruise Line” on the address line, adding the city and state code from where the cruise departs, as well as the name of the vessel.

 

Please find below the APIS forms from airlines to fill in on forehand:

 

Please find below airlines that offer the possibility to enter these details on-line:

 

Keep checked baggage unlocked

For travel to, from and via the US, the US department of transportation advises to keep checked baggage unlocked. In case damage or delay may occur as a result of checking locked baggage, the US department of transportation accepts no liability for this.

 

Payment for checked baggage

On transatlantic journeys passengers are allowed to take two pieces of checked baggage without payment. For (connecting or single) local flights this rule is no longer default. A growing number of airlines now -in lower fare classes- charge fees for checked baggage on domestic flights within the USA and between the USA and Canada. For details, see our overview of the locally applied rules and conditions. Incidentally airlines do make exceptions (variable per airline) for transatlantic passengers.

 

Prohibited baggage

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has decided to forbid the transport of lighters and matches on board of all flights from, to and within the United States. This is applicable on both cabin and checked baggage. Passengers need to bear in mind that all lighters and matches will be collected at the control post on the airport. With reference to the items, which may not be transported in the (hand) baggage, we refer to the General Transport conditions of KLM, the warning on the ticket and the overview list of permitted/prohibited items of the TSA.

 

New US customs policy

US Customs officials are allowed to inspect documents, computers, disks, hard drives, and other electronical or digital data devices of travellers at border checks, and if necessary hold back for further investigation. This measure has been set up to be able to track down terrorist or other criminal activities. More information

 

US departure form still in your possession?

If, after you've come home, the US departure form I-94 (white) or I94W (green) is still in your possession, this means that your departure has not been registered. You still need to arrange this. The departure form with supporting proof of your departure from the USA (eg. original boarding pass with departure from the USA, in- or outbound travel stamps from another country, salary counterfoils showing that you have worked in another country after leaving the USA, bank statements with transactions in another country after leaving the USA) can be sent to:

 

 

ACS-INS SBU
P.O. Box 7125
London, KY 40742-7125
USA

 

Please be sure to send the departure form or further information exclusively to the address above, and not to an American embassy, an American consulate or other address. Only at this address it's possible to make the necessary corrections into the departure details, in order to avoid any inconvenience at future visits to the USA. 

 

Further security measures

Airlines have sharpened their security measures for a.o. flights to/via London Heathrow and other British airports and/or with destination the USA or Canada.
The measures mostly concern hand baggage. If you're going on a trip we advise you to check the website of the airline you're flying for the most recent information about this subject.

 

American authorities also have taken security measures for air travel to and from the United States.