Passports and Visas

CANADA

Passports - Required by all

Passport validity:

1) Passports must be valid for at least one day beyond intended departure

2) Persons under 18 years of age who are not accompanied by their parents or legal guardian(s), or by just one parent or legal guardian, should have a letter of consent from the non-accompanying parent(s) or legal guardian(s), giving them permission to travel alone or with a representative or relative. Children travelling by themselves must have their own passports; they cannot use the passport of their parents even if their details are endorsed in that passport

Visas

The following DO NOT require a visa:

1) Nationals of Canada

2) British Citizens & British Overseas Citizens who are re-admissible to the United Kingdom (does not apply to UK Passport holders where the passport is endorsed British Subject)

3) Citizens of British Dependent Territories who derive their citizenship through birth, descent, registration or naturalization in one of the British dependent territories of Anguilla, Bermuda, British Virgin Islands, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Montserrat, Pitcairn, St. Helena or Turks & Caicos Islands

4) Citizens of Andorra, Antigua & Barbuda, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Botswana, Brunei Darussalam, Cyprus, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (S.A.R. passport holders only), Iceland, Ireland Rep, Israel (National Passport holders only), Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Mexico, Monaco, Namibia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Portugal, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Samoa, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Solomon Islands, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden & Switzerland

5) Citizens of United States & persons lawfully admitted to the United States for permanent residence who are in possession of their alien registration card (Green Card)

6) Holders of passports or travel documents issued by the Vatican City

Notes:

Visitors must depart Canada within 6 months from the date of arrival, unless otherwise indicated upon arrival. Extensions to this period must be obtained by submitting an application to the Case Processing Centre in Vegreville, Alberta

Transit - Required by all except those as noted above and:

1) Persons who are in transit through Canada on a flight stopping solely for the purpose of refuelling and:

2) are in possession of a valid visa to enter the United States on a flight bound for the United States, or

3) have been lawfully admitted to the United States and are on a flight originating from the United States

Special notes:

All visitors must hold onward/return tickets, documents required for next destination & sufficient funds for length of stay

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

Passports - Required, but NOT by the following:

1) The following definitions shall be applicable to this part:

The United States means the continental United States, the state of Hawaii, the commonwealth of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, the Canal zone, American Samoa, Guam and any other islands or territory over which the United States exercises jurisdiction

2) A United States citizen is not required to bear a valid passport to enter or depart the United States but must provide one of the following: Oral declaration, proof of United States citizenship (valid or expired United States passport, United States birth certificate, naturalisation certificate) & valid photo

Please note that an American citizen entering American Samoa requires a valid United States passport

a) When travelling directly between parts of the United States as defined above

b) When travelling between the United States and any country, territory or island adjacent thereto in North, South or Central America excluding Cuba, provided that this exception is not applicable to any such person when proceeding to or arriving from a place outside the United States for which a valid passport is required under this part if such travel is accomplished within 60 days of departure from the United States via any country or territory in North, South or Central America or any island adjacent thereto

3) Citizens of United States returning from a trip within the `Americas` holding proof of identity, i.e. birth certificate or naturalisation papers

4) Alien residents returning from a stay outside United States of less than one year holding an Alien Registration Card (form I-551) or a valid re-entry permit

5) Holders of any official travel certificate issued by any United States diplomatic or consular representation

6) Canadian citizens who are entering the United States from a country in North, Central or South America or the adjacent islands who have valid photo ID or proof of citizenship

7) Bermudan citizens who are entering the United States from a country in North, Central or South America or the adjacent islands who have valid photo ID or proof of citizenship

Notes:

1) European Union style British passports qualify only if they indicate the bearer is a `British Citizen`. Old style passports qualify if they indicate the bearer is a `British Subject: Citizen of United Kingdom & Colonies` and has the right of abode in the United Kingdom or if citizen of the United Kingdom & Colonies is crossed out and on page 5 under the words `holder has the right of abode in the United Kingdom` the following appears: `The holder is a British Citizen under the provision of the `British Nationality Act 1981`. Those passports which state that the bearer is a `British Subject` and do not contain the additional `Citizen of United Kingdom & Colonies` wording do not qualify for travel without a visa, this also applies to British Overseas Citizens, British Dependent Territories Citizens, British National (Overseas) Citizen & British Protected Persons, regardless of whether right of abode is indicated

2) All travellers (including children) wishing to enter under the Visa Waiver Program will require an individual machine-readable passport

Passport validity:

1) Passports of alien non-immigrant passengers must be valid 6 months from date of intended departure from the United States, however, the requirement is waived in the case of many nationalities. For further information, please visit the Embassy`s website at www.usembassy.org.uk

2) If travelling under the Visa Waiver Pilot Program with a passport valid for less than 90 days, the holder will be admitted into the United States only until the date on which the passport expires, except citizens of Andorra, Brunei Darussalam & San Marino who must be in possession of passports valid for at least 6 months from the date on which they depart the US, regardless of their proposed length of stay

Visas

The following DO NOT require a visa:

1) Nationals of United States

2) Citizens of Bermuda, provided passports are endorsed Holder Possesses Bermuda Status, or a separate certificate of Bermuda status, if the bearer does not possess Bermudian status they must have a landing permit, re-entry permit or residential certificate/card for entry

3) Citizens of Canada, travelling on a valid Canadian passport

4) Nationals of Mexico, travelling on a valid Mexican passport & holding a United States B-1/B-2 Visa & Border Crossing Cards, Form DSP-150

5) For stays up to 90 days under the Visa Waiver Program by:

a) Citizens of United Kingdom (passports indicating that the bearer is a British Subject, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British National (Overseas) Citizen, British Protected Person or holders of passports which states holder has Right of Abode or indefinite leave to remain in the United Kingdom do not qualify for visa free travel)

b) Citizens of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland Rep, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden & Switzerland

6) Travellers under the Visa Waiver Program must also meet all of the following requirements:

a) the traveller is a citizen of one of the countries named above, travelling on a valid, individual machine-readable passport

b) travelling for business, pleasure or transit stays for 90 days or less

c) if entering by air or sea is holding a return or onward ticket. If travelling on an electronic ticket, a copy of the itinerary must be carried for presentation to Immigration at port of entry. Travellers with onward tickets terminating in Mexico, Canada, Bermuda or the Caribbean islands must be legal permanent residents of these areas

d) be entering aboard an air or sea carrier that has agreed to participate in the Visa Waiver Program

e) be in possession of a completed form I-94W, obtainable from airline & shipping companies

f) or, if entering by land from Canada or Mexico be in possession of a completed form I-94W, issued by the immigration authorities at the port of entry plus a USD 6 fee, payable in USD only

Notes:

1) Children require individual visas. Old style visas which were issued to bearer & covered all those named in the passport are no longer issued

2) Some travellers are not eligible by law to enter the US. These include people with criminal records, certain serious communicable illnesses, previous deportations from the United States, previous overstays on the Visa Waiver Program & certain other problems. The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act does not apply to United States visa law. Such travellers may not travel visa-free & must apply for special visas. If they attempt to travel without a visa, they will be refused entry into the United States

Transit Visa - Required by all except:

2) Travellers who qualify for visa free travel under the Visa Waiver Program. Application for entry is made on arrival/departure form I-94W provided by the airline or shipping company. If transiting the United States to a destination in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands, the traveller may re-enter the United States on the return journey using any mode of transport, as long as the total visit, including both periods of time spent in transit & in Canada, Mexico or the adjacent islands, does not exceed 90 days. If transiting to a destination outside of Canada, Mexico, or the adjacent islands, the return journey must be on a participating carrier, but need not be within 90 days, as the traveller will be required to make a new application for admission & therefore, required to complete a new arrival/departure for I-94W

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PHILIPPINES

Passports - Required, but NOT by the following:

1) Holders of a Hong Kong Identity Card issued to residents of Hong Kong

Passport validity: Passports must be valid 6 months beyond intended length of stay

Visas - The following DO NOT require a visa:

1) Nationals of the Philippines & former Filipino citizens (except of the countries listed in note 3 below) holding an expired Philippine passport, foreign naturalisation papers showing former Philippine citizenship, birth certificate or certification from adopted country

2) For stays up to 7 days by holders of Hong Kong S.A.R. passports, British Nationals Overseas (BNO) passports, Macao-Portuguese passports & Macao S.A.R. passports

3) For tourism visits up to 21 days for nationals in possession of return tickets (except nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia & Herzegovina, China, Croatia (holders of regular passports), Cuba, Egypt, Estonia, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Korea (North), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Russia, Serbia & Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Slovenia (holders of regular passports), Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan & stateless persons & holders of Documents of Identity (DI), Certificates of Identity (CI) or Travel Documents (Titre de Voyage)

Transit - Required by all except

1) Persons continuing to a third country within 72 hours, provided holding tickets with confirmed seats & documents for onward journey (except nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Algeria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Belize, Bosnia & Herzegovina, China, Croatia (holders of regular passports), Cuba, Egypt, Estonia, Georgia, India, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kiribati, Korea (North), Kyrgyzstan, Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Lithuania, Macedonia, Moldova, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Russia, Serbia & Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Slovenia (holders of regular passports), Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Taiwan, Tajikistan, Tonga, Turkmenistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan & stateless persons & holders of Documents of Identity (DI), Certificates of Identity (CI) or Travel Documents (Titre de Voyage) who must transit on the same day & same aircraft & not leave the airport transit area)

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THAILAND

Passports - Required, but NOT by the following:

1) Holders of a Hong Kong Certificate of Identity (only green passport type certificate issued to residents of Hong Kong) bearing a Thai visa issued in Hong Kong

2) Holders of a Singapore Certificate of Identity with a visa

Passport validity: Passports must be valid 6 months beyond intended length of stay

Visas - The following DO NOT require a visa:

1) Nationals of Thailand

2) For tourist visits up to 30 days, provided holding THB 10,000 per person or THB 20,000 per family & being ordinary passport holders of:

a) United Kingdom

b) Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong (S.A.R. passport holders), Indonesia, Ireland Rep, Israel, Italy, Japan, Korea (South), Kuwait, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Peru, Philippines, Portugal, Qatar, Singapore, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, United Arab Emirates, United States & Vietnam

Notes: Visas are issued on arrival for tourist visits up to 15 days to nationals of Bhutan, China, Cyprus, Czech Rep, Hungary, India, Kazakhstan, Maldives, Mauritius, Oman, Poland, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Taiwan & Ukraine, provided:

a) holding confirmed tickets to leave Thailand within 15 days (must be submitted with application)

b) holding THB 10,000 per person or THB 20,000 per family

c) enter through a designated international checkpoint

Transit - Required by all except:

1) Persons continuing their journey to a third country within 12 hours, provided holding tickets with confirmed reservations prior to arrival, documents required for onward journey & not leaving the airport transit lounge (except holders of Hong Kong Certificate of Identity)

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HONG KONG

Passports - Required, but NOT by the following:

1) Holders of a Hong Kong Certificate of Identity

2) Holders of a Hong Kong Document of Identity bearing a valid limit of stay in Hong Kong

3) Holders of Hong Kong Permanent Identity Cards (other than those which were issued overseas), or Hong Kong Identity Cards issued on or after 01/07/87 bearing the ***, * under the date of birth entry of the cards, who are aged 11 or over

4) Holders of a Macao Identity Card issued to Chinese residents of Macao provided holding a valid Macao Visitor`s Permit issued in Hong Kong & holders of Visitor`s Permit for residents of Macao to HKSAR issued by Macao

5) Holders of a re-entry permit (for entry from the mainland of China and the region of Macao)

Visas - The following DO NOT require a visa:

1) Holders of:

a) Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Passport

b) British Nationals (Overseas) Passport

c) Hong Kong Certificate of Identity

d) Hong Kong Re-entry Permit (for entry from mainland China & Macao only)

e) Hong Kong Document of Identity for Visa Purposes provided that the document is valid or the holder`s limit of stay in Hong Kong has not expired

f) Travel Documents bearing one of the following endorsements; The holder of this travel document has the right to land in Hong Kong (Section 2AAA, Immigration Ordinance Cap. 115, Laws of Hong Kong) or Holder`s eligibility for Hong Kong permanent idenity card verified

g) Hong Kong Permanent Identity Card

2) For stays up to 180 days by British citizens

3) For stays up to 90 days by:

a) British Overseas Territories citizens, British Overseas citizens, British subjects & British Protected persons

b) Nationals of Andorra, Anguilla, Antigua & Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Botswana, Brazil, British Virgin Islands, Brunei Darussalam, Canada, Cayman Islands, Chile, Colombia, Cyprus, Czech Rep, Denmark, Dominica, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Falkland Islands, Fiji, Finland, France, Gambia, Germany, Ghana, Gibraltar, Greece, Guyana, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland Rep, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Kenya, Kiribati, Korea (South), Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malawi, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Montserrat, Namibia, Nauru, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Papua New Guinea, Poland, Portugal, Romania, St. Kitts & Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent & Grenadines, San Marino, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Swaziland, Sweden, Switzerland, Tanzania, Tonga (except holders of Tongan National passports & Tongan Protected persons passports), Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Turks & Caicos Islands, Tuvalu (except those with status I-Tuvalu), United States, Uruguay (except holders of passports issued under Decree 289/90), Vanuatu, Venezuela, Zambia & Zimbabwe

4) For stays up to 30 days by nationals of Bolivia, Cape Verde, Costa Rica (except holders of Provisional passports or Documento de Identidad Y Viaje), Dominican Rep, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Indonesia, Morocco, Paraguay, Peru (except holders of Special Peruvian passports), Samoa, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Tunisia, Uganda, United Arab Emirates & Yemen

5) For stays up to 14 days by nationals of Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Benin, Bhutan, Bosnia & Herzegovina, Burkina Faso, Central African Rep, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Congo Dem Rep, Cote d`Ivoire, Croatia, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Ethiopia, Gabon, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, India, Jordan, Kuwait, Lesotho, Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Marshall Islands, Mauritania, Micronesia, Mongolia, Mozambique, Niger, Oman, Palau Islands, Philippines, Qatar, Rwanda, Sao Tome & Principe, Saudi Arabia, Suriname, Togo & Vatican City

6) For stays up to 7 days by nationals of other countries (except nationals of Afghanistan, Albania, Angola, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Bulgaria, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Costa Rica (holders of Provisional passports or `Documento de Identidad Y Viaje`), Cuba, Eritrea, Georgia, Grenada, Iran, Iraq, Kazakhstan, Korea (North), Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Moldova, Myanmar, Nepal, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palestine, Panama, Peru (holders of Special passports), Russia, Senegal, Serbia & Montenegro, Sierra Leone, Solomon Islands, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Tajikistan, Tonga (holders of National or Protected Persons passports), Turkmenistan, Tuvalu (those with status I-Tuvalu), Ukraine, Uruguay (holders of passports issued under Decree 289/90), Uzbekistan, Vietnam & all stateless travel document holders

7) Residents of Mainland China, overseas Chinese & Chinese residents in Taiwan should check details with nearest Immigration Office

Notes:

Transit - Required by all except those as noted above and:

1) Nationals of visa-exempt countries may transit without onward tickets provided they are continuing their journey to China or Macao

2) Holders of Chinese passports & People`s Republic of China (PRC) passports who are in transit through Hong Kong to and from another country or territory should check details with nearest Immigration Office

Notes:

A visa is always required for nationals of Angola, Burundi, Cameroon, Eritrea, Iraq, Liberia, Pakistan & Sierra Leone including those who are in transit & remain airside

Special notes

All visitors must hold onward/return tickets, documents required for next destination & sufficient funds for length of stay

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