Do Dutch Citizens Need a Visa to Visit the USA?

As long as they are visiting as a tourist or business (B1) visitor and plan to stay less than 90 days, Dutch Citizens do not need a visa to enter the United States. The Netherlands, like most European Union Countries, is part of the Visa Waiver Program, which means its citizens only need a valid electronic passport* and authorization by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ETSA) in order to enter the US. If a Dutch citizen is planning to stay in the US for longer than 90 days, or would like to work or study in the United States, then yes, he or she would need to apply for and be approved for the appropriate visa to do so.

The Visa Waiver Program for Dutch or other European Citizens has the same rules as the B1/B2 visitor visa program. For example, like B-visa visitors, Visa Waiver Program visitors are not permitted to engage in employment of any kind while in the US. However, they are permitted to receive honoraria, speaker’s fees, travel reimbursements and other incidental payments for legitimate academic activities.

* An electronic passport or e-Passport, denoted by the symbol e-passport logo, is an enhanced secure passport with an embedded electronic chip. E-Passports are issued by the proper passport issuing authority and must meet international standards for securing and storing information corresponding to the passport and bearer. It typically would include a machine-readable zone on the biographic page and a digital chip containing biometric information about the passport owner. Without an e-passport travelers cannot participate in the Visa Waiver Program.

If you are unsure if you are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program, you can apply for an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) system to find out. The ESTA is an automated system that assists in determining eligibility to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and whether such travel poses any law enforcement or security risk. Upon completion of an ESTA application, a traveler is notified of his or her eligibility to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.