United States of America · Other

Transiting the United States

Transiting the United States (C) is issued by U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. VisaAI tracks 6 official requirements for it, each traced to the government page that states it.

Last verified against the official source on .

VisaAI is not a government body and does not issue visas. It cannot decide, predict or guarantee the outcome of an application, and this page is not legal or immigration advice.

Requirements change. Confirm every item on U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’s own page before you apply.

Each requirement below is written in plain English by VisaAI. The indented text beneath it is quoted from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services’s own page, so you can check what we say against what they say. Where a quotation shows “ ... ”, text has been left out.

Conditions you must meet

  • Certain people may transit the United States on a B-1 visaUSCIS lists transit among the activities the B-1 classification permits. Note the qualifier the authority uses — 'certain persons' — and that it names no criterion for who those persons are. That gap is real and is not filled here.
    Transiting through the United States: certain persons may transit the United States with a B-1 visa
  • Certain air crew may enter as deadhead crew on a B-1 visa
    Deadheading: certain air crewmen may enter the United States as deadhead crew with a B-1 visa
  • Everyone arriving at a port of entry is inspected by CBP officers, including in transit
    All persons arriving at a port-of-entry to the United States are subject to inspection by CBP officers. CBP officers will conduct the Immigration, Customs, and Agriculture components of the Inspections process.
  • A person admitted in transit — on a C visa or without a visa — may not apply to extend their stayThe most consequential fact a transit traveller can be told, and the only one about transit that a readable DHS page states as a rule rather than as an example. A missed connection or a cancelled onward flight cannot be regularised by filing for an extension.
    You may not apply to extend your stay if you were admitted to the United States in the following categories: Visa Waiver Program; Crew member (D nonimmigrant visa); In transit through the United States (C nonimmigrant visa); In transit through the United States without a visa (TWOV);
  • Remaining longer than authorised may bar you from returning and may lead to removal
    If you remain in the United States longer than authorized, you may be barred from returning and/or you may be removed (deported) from the United States.

Documents you must provide

  • The Form I-94 admission record is the proof of legal visitor status
    International travelers visiting the United States can apply for a provisional I-94 or retrieve their I-94/I-95 admission number/record (which is proof of legal visitor status) as well as retrieve a limited travel history of their U.S. arrivals and departures.

Official sources

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