In 1974, the Niue became an independent country. It is a sovereign member of foreign organization but is also connected with New Zealand, which is in control for defense and international matters. The citizens of Niue are known as New Zealand residents. Because of this, they are eligible for Visa Waiver Program and not need a tourist visa to visit the US.
They can instead be issued an ESTA or e-visa on arrival after they ask for entry permission. Moreover, the Visa Waiver Program permits people of participating states to go to the U.S. for leisure or business purposes for approximately 90 days or less without a visa. But remember, if you cannot fulfill any of the requirements to visit with an ESTA, you need to apply for a US tourist visa prior to your trip. To get more details regarding travel from Niue to the US, please keep reading below:
Read more about: Requirements for US Tourist Visa for Citizens of Falkland Islands
Eligibility for Visa Waiver Program for Niue Citizens
Those who are willing to visit the United States via the Visa Waiver Program have to complete all of the mentioned requirements to be qualified:
- You are a native of a VWP country
- You are willing to live in the USA for ninety days
- You don’t own any Visitor Visa
- You are going to the USA for business or tourism intents
What is an ESTA?
An Electronic System for Travel Authorization is a mechanized framework that determines whether visitors can visit the USA without a visa under the VWP.
Moreover, the following tourists cannot travel with an e-visa: Those who go with a valid US visa appropriate to the reason for their tour, permanent citizens of the US, Canadian residents, and U.S. people.
Requirements for an ESTA
To get an ESTA or e-visa, you must have to submit some vital detail like:
- Your valid email ID and mobile number
- A machine-readable, valid passport (from a VWP nation)
- Emergency email ID and contact number
- Home address
How Do you Request an ESTA to Travel to the US?
Those who are sure that they are eligible for the VWP can apply for ESTA by following the same process mentioned below:
- First, check whether your passport fulfills all the requirements of VWP. It would help if you had an e-Passport or electronic passport to be eligible for the program. This sort of passport has a chip.
- Fill out the online ESTA application.
- Afterwards, pay the application charges of around twenty-one dollars. When you apply for an ESTA, you will need to pay processing charges of four dollars.
- Those allowed to visit the USA must pay a further seventeen dollars (authorization charges).
Once you fill out and submit the ESTA form and processing charges, you will receive your ESTA application number. Use that application number to check your ESTA status. It can take approximately 72 hours to see if you are allowed to travel to the USA under the program.
Every authorized ESTA application is usually valid for two years, and visitors can make multiple entries to the USA within that duration without needing to apply for a new travel agreement.
If someone’s passport expires before two years, he will get an ESTA authorization valid until the expiration date of the passport. When you go to the USA for vacation or business under the program, you might live up to ninety days per entry.
The Difference Between an ESTA and a B-1/B-2 Category Visa
While both a B-1/B-2 category Visa or the ESTA can be utilized by tourists visiting the USA for tourism or business, only some are qualified for the ESTA.
The B-1/B-2 type Visa has a validity of around 180 days, unlike the e-visa. Also, the visitor visa isn’t a green card and doesn’t provide permanent inhabitant status. However, you are permitted to visit the USA on this visa and alter your visa status inside the state.
When to Apply for a New ESTA?
You have to apply for another ESTA only if you receive a new passport, you change your gender, you change your name, your nation of citizenship changes, or in case your replies change to any of the queries on the ESTA application.
To Sum Up
The citizens of Niue are eligible for VWP, which is why they do not need a US tourist visa to visit the USA. The VWP allows people of qualified states to enter the USA without a visa and live for approximately 90 days. However, they must apply for travel approval and get the ESTA program before traveling to the USA. This lets them live for a period of 90 days without the requirement for a visa. Whether you are planning a holiday or a temporary business tour, if you are not a USA native or permanent citizen, you will have to apply for a US tourist visa to go and legally live in the USA.