roaringgirl
Well-known member
The first mate has her oilskins in a twist about getting these in our passports ASAP. Does anyone here know if we have to get this done in London, or whether we could do it when we stop off, say in Lisbon?
Visas for UK citizens entering USA on own boat
- Thread starter roaringgirl
- Start date
Bilgediver
Well-known member
Unless there are recent changes you should be able to to it in the USA Embassy in Lisbon however it would be worth a phone call to them to check if appointments required and how many passport pictures you will need. They can be very particular regarding suitability of pictures so see if you can get a copy of the rules.
Ashman
Member
Not sure which route you are taking but we found the US embassy in Barbados very friendly and helpful for the interview
PilotWolf
Well-known member
Make the appointment as early as possible, I think I had to wait nearly a month for appointment in London. And then you have to leave your passport with them and I think they say allow up to 14 days for it to be coriored back.
The passport photos required are a different size to the UK ones so make sure you get the correct size.
That was over 10/12 years ago so things may have changed.
W.
The passport photos required are a different size to the UK ones so make sure you get the correct size.
That was over 10/12 years ago so things may have changed.
W.
Ohlin Karcher
N/A
Also, make sure neither of you has ever been arrested by the police ( not convicted) as you must inform them, and do some extra form-filling red tape, even if it was trivial and decades ago.
PilotWolf
Well-known member
Yes, I had to apply for a certificate stating this, I don't recall what it was called, I can probably find the copy if you (OP), really need it but I believe Hampshire police handle the requests. An arrest or conviction isn't a definite refusal but then you need a waiver which can take months to sort out, if they agree.
She is obviously aware of it as she mentions visas but if anyone isn't you cannot enter using the visa waiver/ETSA on a private vessel. Also there is no need to pay any compmay to 'process' it for you - it's a pretty simple process.
Also have a detailed passage plan and why you need the B1/B2 visa, where you intend to land, where you're going to visit, when you plan to leave (admission is UPTO 6 months as the officer's discretion), a supporting letter from the skipper is also going to help. If you're the boat owner take along proof of that. A big red flag is if you have no commitment to the UK or wherever home is, again take proof of it, mortgage statements, a letter from an employer stating a return to work date., bank statements, utility bills, etc.
It was the same with my green card and then citizenship, mine was for the most painless but I know of people who have had cases dragging on for years. Not meaning to be disrespectful but I suspect that's because they didn't read the questions and pay attention to detail, or answer them in the way required. USCIS is a tick box and comply system, it doesn't allow for the most part of answers that can't be assessed as yes or no. In all my years of traveling back and forth befor moving here I only encountered one agent that was obstructive, who when she called her supervisor for advice she was quickly shut down and my passport was immediately stamped, albeit with a bitter attitude.
I don't know about how it works arriving by sea though as never done that, but play by their (our?) rules and you shouldn't have a problem.
PM if I can help - sometimes it's easier to get info locally.
W.
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Dave100456
Well-known member
Hi, we’re UK based and booked our interviews for the embassy in Trinidad as we’d be in the country. You fill in the online application form after selecting which US Embassy you want to attend for the interview.
After the form is submitted with photos( we took ours on the iPhone and submitted using the embassy’s online app which allows you to edit the image). After the form is submitted and approved you pay the fee and choose the appointment date & time.
Only issue we had was the fee had to be paid in CASH at a particular bank in Trinidad which isn’t easy if you’re in the UK. We got a friend to pay in cash at the bank. If I recall the payment instructions vary from one embassy to another eg if we’d gone for interview in Nassau we could have paid via card.
They keep your passport and then courier it to you 5-7 days after the interview.
Good luck
After the form is submitted with photos( we took ours on the iPhone and submitted using the embassy’s online app which allows you to edit the image). After the form is submitted and approved you pay the fee and choose the appointment date & time.
Only issue we had was the fee had to be paid in CASH at a particular bank in Trinidad which isn’t easy if you’re in the UK. We got a friend to pay in cash at the bank. If I recall the payment instructions vary from one embassy to another eg if we’d gone for interview in Nassau we could have paid via card.
They keep your passport and then courier it to you 5-7 days after the interview.
Good luck
Bajansailor
Well-known member
I applied for a B1/B2 visa last week at the American Embassy here in Barbados - all the same as what Dave describes above except that here we can pay online with a credit card.
It was a very long online form to complete - it took me over an hour.
To my surprise they offered me an interview date on Tuesday morning after applying for it on Friday afternoon - I was expecting the wait to be longer.
I had a recent passport photo which I scanned and included with my online application.
You are supposed to bring an original photo with you to the interview - I forgot mine....... but they managed to use the photo in the online application for the visa in my passport.
The interview was basically just a formality, as I have had US visas before.
They gave me a 10 year visa - it takes up a whole page in the passport, and it cost US$ 180.
Here you have to collect the passport with visa from the DHL office near to the airport - mine took a few days to process and then they emailed me a notification that it was ready to be collected.
It was a very long online form to complete - it took me over an hour.
To my surprise they offered me an interview date on Tuesday morning after applying for it on Friday afternoon - I was expecting the wait to be longer.
I had a recent passport photo which I scanned and included with my online application.
You are supposed to bring an original photo with you to the interview - I forgot mine....... but they managed to use the photo in the online application for the visa in my passport.
The interview was basically just a formality, as I have had US visas before.
They gave me a 10 year visa - it takes up a whole page in the passport, and it cost US$ 180.
Here you have to collect the passport with visa from the DHL office near to the airport - mine took a few days to process and then they emailed me a notification that it was ready to be collected.
PilotWolf
Well-known member
Based in the last two replies it seems like things have moved on a bit, at least outside of the U.K.!
W.
W.
KellysEye
Active member
We got our B1/B2 visas at the USA London embassy we had to wait four hours and saw three different people asked why we wanted a visa. Fingerprints are taken. They last 10 years and you can visit any American teritory. Take your passports.
Billyo
Member
I had to do one urgently when I was in the us as my tourist Visa was about to expire. Long story short you can book the interview and do some of the paperwork online, when I looked at it there was a six week waiting list for london, I looked at other embassies and there was a two day wait in Costa Rica so I went down and it got issued in five days. So pick your spot!
macd
Active member
You don't indicate where you are, roaringgirl, but if you're keen to get it done before leaving the British Isles, Dublin usually has very much shorter waiting lists than the London embassy.
neil1967
Well-known member
We made the mistake of trying to enter the USVIs on a charter boat, assuming that the Visa Waiver scheme applied. We were refused entry and sent back to the BVIs. I am now the proud owner of a US form declaring that I am an illegal alien and to be deported (it hangs in the loo). I have subsequently visited the US by commercial carrier, with no problems....
PilotWolf
Well-known member
neil1967
Well-known member
I got the impression that it wasn't the first time it had happened. I asked the immigration official if there would be any impact on future visits, as I travel to the US occasionally with work, and he said the form was to cover them in case we sank in the bay on the way out. He said he would rip up the form when he was satisfied we had left...…...
Refueler
Well-known member
Just out of curiosity .... is the ESTA not a valid form then for boating entry into USA ?
Must have a look again at ESTA and check if they've added any restrictions on its use ...
Must have a look again at ESTA and check if they've added any restrictions on its use ...
Refueler
Well-known member
I have a Passport with a 'Parole' stamp and $60 fine for entering on a Passport that could not be electronically read .... Airline was fined $3000 for bringing me in !!
Just checked ESTA rules and its only accepted if the 'carrier' who brings you in is registered with the system ... ie Airline / Cruise Ship etc.
And of course your Passport must be Electronically readable !
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Zing
Well-known member
I recall reading about a way to enter without a B1/B2 visa. Go to the BVI, go to the USVI by ferry, at customs after getting your 3 month entry stamp ask for permission to get your boat, go and get it and re-enter on your stamp. Then go to the US. I also read this route caused people hassle as the customs officers themselves were not sure of the rules. All common sense caveats and warnings apply to this.
BrianH
Active member
This happened to me too, without becoming an illegal alien. In fact the immigration personnel couldn't have been nicer, proposing a solution to get around the problem, which I think happened often.
It was in December 2009, after clearing from Road Town, BVI, I made the mistake of thinking the ESTA Visa Waiver Program would suffice for the USVI. Trying to enter Cruz Bay, St John, found it was good only for arriving on a commercial carrier. The US immigration there proposed the solution - to return to Tortola, come back by ferry, get a WT/WB visa, which is valid for 90 days, return by ferry and arrive back by yacht to clear in with customs only, not immigration.
West End (Soper's Hole) where the ferry leaves from on Tortola was a port of entry with plenty of spare moorings so easy to clear in and out between leaving the boat and travelling to/from BVI and USVI.
john_q
Active member
In case any Non-Brits are reading this, the length of the visa depends on the reciprocal agreements between your country and the USA, Brits normally get 10 year visa, Aussies get 5 years so it is worth checking first.
We travelled in transit through LAX in October 2019, our valid visas were in our old, cancelled passports, We had to scan the old passports with the visa on entry on arrival in the fancy machine then queue up and get a 6 month stamp in our current passports, then collect all our luggage and re check it back in - all for a 3 hour stop, we just made the connecting flight!!!
We travelled in transit through LAX in October 2019, our valid visas were in our old, cancelled passports, We had to scan the old passports with the visa on entry on arrival in the fancy machine then queue up and get a 6 month stamp in our current passports, then collect all our luggage and re check it back in - all for a 3 hour stop, we just made the connecting flight!!!