Arriving in the U.S.

A visa allows you to travel from your country to a port of entry in the United States. In many cases, that port of entry will be the airport where you land. On the airplane you will be asked to complete a short arrival/departure form.

When you deplane, follow directions for non-citizen entry. At the airport, a U.S. official will interview you and verify all of your paperwork. Once admitted, you will receive an immigration stamp and proceed to baggage claim and U.S. Customs.

In most cases, the consular officer in your home country will inform you if you should register when you arrive in the U.S. The fact that you are not notified in advance does not mean that you cannot be registered, however. An inspector from the Directorate of Border and Transportation Security, part of the Department of Homeland Security, also may ask you to register at the port of arrival.

By 2005, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security is required by law to register all of the approximately 35 million visitors who enter and leave the United States each year.

Registration consists of a few basic steps.

First you will be directed to a private workstation in the arrivals hall of the airport or border crossing. Registration, photos and electronic (non-inking) fingerprints will be taken there in private, and an interview and verification process covering basic biographical data will be conducted by a border officer.

During the registration process you may be temporarily separated from your family. They will be guided to wait for you in an adjoining area. Depending on individual circumstances, some or all of your family may also be asked to follow registration procedures.

The average processing time for the registration process is 18 minutes. Every effort is made to ensure that the process is efficient, straightforward and respectful.

Following registration, you will receive an immigration stamp and then proceed to baggage claim and U.S. Customs.

Registration

To ensure the safety of people inside our borders, the U.S. Congress has mandated that a comprehensive visitor entry-exit system be established -- the National Security Entry-Exit Registration System (NSEERS).

This system is designed to identify who is entering and leaving the country, and to make sure that that visa holders are complying with the terms and conditions of their visa.

The new policy calls for the United States, like many other countries, to implement a registration procedure for foreign visitors. Registering foreign visitors, which will be universal, is being introduced in phases.

Registration today can occur in any case regardless of country of origin. It is mandatory for men 16 years of age and older who are citizens of countries determined by the U.S. Attorney General to represent a potential national security risk. Registration also is required today for individuals who are determined by the U.S. Attorney General to represent a national security concern.

Individual registration is not based on ethnicity or religion. It does not apply only to visitors from one part of the world. In the first four months, individuals from over 150 countries were registered. As soon as possible, all visitors to the United States will be registered, and biometric identification will make visa processing speedier, more reliable and less disruptive.

The Registration Process