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Visa Waiver Program
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All nationals or citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure require an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.

The information below is directed at German passport holders. Germany is a member of the Visa Waiver Program.

Not a German passport holder? For Visa Waiver Program information regarding other countries and their passport requirements, please visit the website of the U.S. Consulate, Embassy or Diplomatic Mission to that country; complete list at www.usembassy.gov/.

Conditions for German passport holders to travel without a visa

You may travel visa-free if you meet all of the following requirements:

  • You have your own passport. Everyone, including children, is required to have his or her own passport to travel under the Visa Waiver Program;
  • Your passport is full-validity e-passport. Children’s passports (Kinderreisepass) are eligible for VWP travel – but only if they are an e-passport. Temporary passports (Vorläufige Reisepässe) are not eligible for VWP travel.
  • You are traveling for business, pleasure or transit only.
  • Your intended stay in the United States does not exceed 90 days.
  • You must hold a valid return or onward ticket. Onward tickets may not end in Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean.
  • You will enter the United States aboard an air or sea carrier that has agreed to participate in the program. This applies to most airlines and shipping companies.
  • Private or official aircraft or vessels do not meet this requirement. You will need a visa if you travel on a private plane or yacht.
  • Your passport is valid for the duration of stay in the U.S.
  • You have not traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, and Yemen on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions for travel for diplomatic or military purposes in the service of a VWP country.  This restriction does not bar travel to the United States, but it does require a traveler covered by the restriction in the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 to obtain a visa from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
  • You are not a national of Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan, or Syria: This restriction does not bar travel to the United States, but it does require a traveler covered by the restriction in the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 to obtain a visa from a U.S. Embassy or Consulate.

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