Japan to United States visa requirements

Japanese ordinary passport holders do not need a B visa for short U.S. visits; they use ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program — USD 40.27 total, 90-day stays. Japanese ordinary passport holders can use the U.S. Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for tourism, business, or transit instead of applying for a B-1/B-2 visitor visa. They must hold a valid biometric e-passport and obtain an approved ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) before traveling by air, sea, or land to the United States under the VWP. ESTA permits stays of up to 90 days per visit, generally allows multiple entries during its 2-year validity, and expires earlier if the passport expires. The approved FY 2026 ESTA total is USD 40.27: USD 10.27 is charged whether approved or denied, and an additional USD 30 is charged only if approved. An ESTA does not guarantee admission; a CBP officer makes the final decision at the port of entry. Travelers who plan to stay over 90 days, work, study for credit, immigrate, use a private/non-VWP carrier, or who are ESTA-ineligible must apply for the appropriate visa instead. Japan has issued IC/ePassports since applications made on 20 March 2006, and Japan is exempt from the U.S. six-month passport-validity rule, so Japanese passports need only be valid for the intended stay.