Embassy of the United States Stockholm, Sweden

Non-Immigrant Visa Unit

Most Swedish citizens going to the US for tourism or business will be able to travel without a visa on the Visa Waiver Program. To find out if you are eligible, please see the full list of countries participating in the VWP. All travelers under the VWP must have an approved ESTA registration! Please visit the ESTA website to submit your registration.

The term "business" in this context refers to negotiating contracts, meeting clients, participating in seminars, attending expositions, and taking customer orders. It does not include accepting employment or running actual firms in the US.

You are not allowed to study or be an intern under this program.

You are not allowed to do journalistic work under this program.

You do not need a visa if:

• You are a citizen of Sweden and you have a Swedish passport and;
• Your passport is machine-readable and;
• You have never been charged with or convicted of a crime in any country and;
• You have never been denied a U.S. visa and;
• You have never been deported from or denied entry into the U.S. and;
• You are going for 90 days or less for business or pleasure.

You do need a visa if:

• You have a handwritten passport or;
• You are not a citizen of a Visa Waiver country or Canada or;
• You previously have been refused a U.S. visa or;
• You have been deported from or denied entry into the U.S. or;
• You are going for a purpose other than business or pleasure or;
• You are planning to stay for more than 90 days or;
• You are entering the U.S. by private craft, such as boat or private plane or;
• You have been charged with or convicted of a crime in any country.

Note: Certain persons may not use this program such as those who previously have been refused entry to the United States or people who have been arrested, even if the arrest didn’t result in a criminal conviction, those with criminal records, certain contagious diseases, a history of mental illness, and other problems, and persons who have been deported from the US, or overstayed a previous visit, even by one day, on the Visa Waiver Program. Such travelers must apply for a visa.

To qualify for visa free travel, you must:

1. Have a valid passport issued by the participating country and be a citizen - not just a resident - of that country. All visitors must have a machine-readable passport to use the Visa Waiver Program.
   
   Passports issued after October 25, 2005, must contain a digital photo. A digital photo is one that is printed on the page, not a photo that is glued or laminated onto the passport.
   
   Passports issued after October 25, 2006 must also contain biometric information.
   
   Swedish biometric passports - regular and temporary - meet the requirements under the Visa Waiver Program. Some Swedish temporary passports issued abroad are hand written. Travelers with these passport need visas. Passports of the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Estonia, Slovakia, Hungary, South Korea, and Latvia need to be biometric regardless of issuance year. Greek passports issued by the Hellenic police after 26 August 2006 are valid for travel under the vwp.
2. be seeking entry for 90 days or less as a temporary visitor;
3. if entering by air or sea, have a round-trip ticket issued on a carrier (e.g., airline or shipping company) that is participating in the VWP, and arriving in the U.S. aboard such a carrier;
4. have proof of financial solvency (bank statement, cash, credit card, etc.) and hold a completed form I-94W, on which you have waived the right to a hearing of exclusion or deportation. These forms are available on board airlines and shipping companies. (Travelers should consult carriers before departure to verify which ones are participating in the VWP.)

Entry by land from Canada or Mexico is permitted under the VWP. Travelers who apply for entry at a land border crossing point are not required to present round-trip tickets or arrive at the border entry point aboard a carrier which has signed an agreement with the U.S. to participate in the VWP. However, all other VWP requirements do apply to such travelers.

Visitors applying for entry under this program are allowed to remain 90 days (no extensions granted) and may not change their status. Consistent with regulations governing B1/B2 temporary visitor visas, travelers coming under the VWP may not work or study in the United States. After 89 days, the visitor must leave the North American continent.

The passport only has to be valid for the duration of your stay in the U.S., with the exceptions of passports from Andorra, Brunei, and San Marino. Passports from these three countries must be valid for six months after you leave the U.S.

For more information on the visa waiver program, please see the State Department website.