How long can you stay in the US on ESTA?
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) lets citizens of participating countries, such as the UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and most of Europe, visit the US for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa. You need an approved ESTA before you travel.
- 90 days per visit, counted from the day you are admitted. Your I-94 record shows the date you must leave by.
- No extensions. You can't extend a VWP stay or change to another status from inside the US, except in rare emergencies.
- No fixed yearly limit in the rules. But if your visits add up to most of the year, a border officer can decide you are living in the US rather than visiting and refuse entry.
Do trips to Canada or Mexico reset the 90 days?
No. If you leave the US for Canada, Mexico or an adjacent island in the Caribbean and come back, you are normally readmitted only for the rest of your original 90 days. The side trip doesn't start a new period. This rule exists so visitors can't stay for months by hopping over the border.
To get a fresh 90 days you generally need to travel further away, for example back to Europe, and spend enough time there that your trip still looks like a genuine visit. The exception is people who live in Canada, Mexico or those islands: returning home counts as leaving.
How long is an ESTA valid, and what does it cost?
- Validity: 2 years, or until your passport expires if that's sooner. A new passport needs a new ESTA.
- Cost: about US$40. Apply only on the official ESTA website, as other sites charge extra.
- Multiple visits: one ESTA covers many trips while it's valid, but each visit is limited to 90 days.
How can you stay longer than 90 days?
With a B-2 tourist visa, visitors are usually admitted for up to 6 months per entry, and you can apply to USCIS to extend your stay on Form I-539 before your I-94 date runs out. You apply at a US embassy or consulate, usually with an interview.
Canadians don't use ESTA or the VWP. They are visa-exempt and are usually admitted for up to 6 months at a time. Canadians spending winters in the US should check our snowbird calculator.
What happens if you overstay?
- Even one day past your I-94 date under the VWP means you lose the right to use ESTA. You'll need a visa for future trips.
- More than 180 days of unlawful presence can lead to a 3-year bar on returning, and 1 year or more to a 10-year bar.
Can long visits make you a US tax resident?
Separately from immigration, spending a lot of time in the US can make you a US tax resident under the IRS substantial presence test, which weights your days over three years. About 4 months a year, every year, is close to the threshold. Check with our substantial presence test calculator.