How to Travel to the US or UK Visa-Free: Updated Rules for 2026

Visa-free entry to the USA is available to citizens of 42 countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program. It applies to all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands^{[1]Source: The list of countries under the Visa Waiver Program is published on the US Homeland Security Website.}.

For citizens of the European Union, entry to the United States is permitted without a visa, with exceptions for citizens of Bulgaria, Romania, and Cyprus.

Citizenship by investment programmes offer an alternative route for those seeking easier access to the USA. For instance, citizens of some Caribbean countries are eligible for a B-1/B-2 visitor visa to the USA, valid for up to 10 years.

The purpose of travel to the USA must align with the B-1/B-2 visa requirements: tourism, business meetings, or treatment at local medical facilities. Travelers can explore the country, visit friends or relatives, and attend training and conferences.

Visa-free entry for study or work is prohibited.

Before travelling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, individuals must obtain entry permission through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, ESTA.

To obtain ESTA travel authorisation, travelers must register online through the official ESTA website, complete a form, and pay a $40.27 fee^{[2]Source: The ESTA website has all the terms and online application procedure.}.

Requirements for citizens of a participating country:

1. No criminal record.
2. No previous refusals to enter the United States.
3. Biometric passport with an electronic chip.
4. No travel to Iraq, Iran, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, and Yemen since March 1st, 2011.
5. The purpose of travel to the USA is tourism, business meetings, or transit.
6. Obtained electronic authorisation to enter the USA through the ESTA system.
7. Return ticket or other proof of leaving the USA on time.

Visa-free entry rules. Citizens of 83 countries and territories can stay in the UK for up to 6 months without a visa — though all of them must now hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation, ETA, before travelling. British and Irish citizens need neither a visa nor an ETA^{[3]Source: The list of ETA countries is published on the UK government website.}.

An ETA costs £20, is valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, and permits multiple visits of up to 6 months each for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, or short-term study. It is not a visa and does not guarantee entry — Border Force makes the final decision at the border^{[4]Source: The ETA terms and application is available on the UK government website.}.

Transit rules. Those who normally need a visa may pass through the UK without one only under the Transit Without Visa scheme. This applies to landside transit and requires arriving and departing by air with a confirmed onward flight leaving by midnight the day after arrival. The traveller must also be travelling to or from Australia, Canada, New Zealand or the USA with a valid visa for that country — or hold a qualifying residence permit for one of those countries, an EEA/Swiss residence permit or category D visa, or an Irish biometric visa. 

There is no general visa-free allowance for cruise passengers. Anyone arriving by sea who disembarks in the UK is subject to the standard rules: non-visa nationals need an ETA, and visa nationals need a visa.

To visit the US and UK without a visa, you can get a second citizenship from a country with visa-free agreements.

The fastest way to get a second citizenship is through special state programmes for investors.

Citizens of four Caribbean countries can stay in the UK without a visa for up to 180 days. To visit the United States, they can get long-term visas under a simplified procedure.

Caribbean citizenship can be obtained within 6 to 8 months through a non-refundable contribution to the economy or by purchasing real estate. These are the main options available through Caribbean citizenship programmes.

Saint Lucia offers additional options, such as investing in local businesses or purchasing government bonds. Antigua and Barbuda also provides extra options, such as a contribution to the university fund or an investment in a local business.

The minimum investment amounts for the programs of the Caribbean countries:

• $200,000+ as a contribution to a state fund;
• $200,000+ for the purchase of real estate.

For the non-refundable contribution to the fund, the investment amount in Dominica increases if the investor includes family members in the application. In other Caribbean countries, the investment threshold does not depend on the number of applicants.

For the real estate purchase option, the investor must pay a special state fee, which varies depending on the program and family composition.

1. Travelling the world without visas. For citizens of the Caribbean countries, more than 160 countries are open in a visa-free regime, including the Schengen states. China is visa-free for citizens of Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, and Grenada.

2. Benefits for tax residents. Tax residents of the Caribbean do not pay taxes on income, capital gains, wealth, and inheritance.

3. Regional rights across the Caribbean Community. All five countries belong to CARICOM and its single market, which lets citizens establish businesses and seek work in other member states. Dominica's citizens have the widest rights of all: since October 2025, they can live, work, and remain indefinitely in Barbados, Belize, and St Vincent and the Grenadines under full free movement^{[5]Source: The decision was announced on the official CARICOM website.}.

4. Education on preferential terms. Citizens of Caribbean countries can get scholarships to study at universities in the UK because the Caribbean countries are part of the Commonwealth of Nations. Commonwealth Scholarship Programmes cover the majority of tuition fees, allowing you to save on tuition. 

5. Second home and a place to relocate. As a citizen, you can enter, live, work, study, own property, and settle in the country at any time, with no permit and no time limit. It is a permanent base — and a genuine ‘plan B’ — in a stable, English-speaking jurisdiction.

1. Citizens of 42 countries have visa-free access to the US, since they participate in the Visa Waiver Program. Among them are the EU states, Israel, Japan, Singapore, and South Korea.
2. To travel under the US Visa Waiver Program, one needs to have a biometric passport and to register online through the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation, ESTA.
3. The Visa Waiver Program applies to all 50 US states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, the US Virgin Islands, Guam, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
4. Citizens of 83 countries can stay in the UK without a visa for up to 6 months with an electronic travel authorisation, ETA. The list includes some Caribbean countries, EU states, Brazil, Paraguay, and more.
5. Citizenship by investment programmes allow individuals to broaden their visa-free access by obtaining a second passport. Citizens of Caribbean countries can travel without visas to over 160 countries.