United States of America

The United States has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated foreigners for non-essential travel, including tourism. Unvaccinated foreigners permitted under exemption to enter the country by air must self-quarantine for five days after arrival. (See Get in below.)

Masks are optional when using public transportation and at airports, bus stations and train stations, except where required by local mandates. Indoor masking is recommended in areas of high community COVID transmission and may be required by some states, cities or businesses. Some locations may require proof of vaccination for indoor establishments such as restaurants, bars, gyms and large indoor events. Those that are not fully vaccinated should avoid crowded places and group gatherings, stay at least 6 ft (2 m) away from others, and wear a mask in most situations.

Check with the CDC and with state and local authorities for the latest information. A national map from the U.S. CDC shows COVID-19 community levels throughout the country.

The U.S. government is planning to end the COVID-19 public health emergency on 11 May 2023. A formal announcement has yet to be made concerning any changes to the vaccination requirements for entry into the country.

A public health emergency has been declared in the United States due to the mpox virus (formerly known as monkeypox). For more information, see the U.S. CDC mpox website.

The United States of America is a vast country in North America about half the size of Russia and about the same size as China. It also has the world's third-largest population, with more than 330 million people (in 2020). It includes densely populated cities with sprawling suburbs, and vast uninhabited areas of natural beauty. Representing the world's single largest economy, and with its history of mass immigration dating from the 17th century, it is a "melting pot" of cultures from around the world.

Regarded as the most powerful and influential country in the world, it plays a dominant role in the world's cultural landscape, and is famous for its wide array of popular tourist destinations, ranging from the skyscrapers of Manhattan and Chicago, natural wonders of Yellowstone and Alaska, and canyonlands of the Southwest the warm, sunny beaches of Florida, Hawaii, and Southern California.

Regions

The United States comprises 50 states and the nation's capital city of Washington, D.C., which for the purposes of Wikivoyage are grouped into the following regions:

New England (Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont)

Home to gabled churches, rustic antiques, and steeped in American history, New England offers beaches, spectacular seafood, rugged mountains, frequent winter snows, and some of the nation's oldest cities, in a territory small enough to tour (hastily) in a week.

Mid-Atlantic (Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C.)

Ranging from New York to Washington, D.C., the Mid-Atlantic is home to some of the nation's most densely populated cities, its most historically significant sites, rolling mountains and seaside resorts.

South (Alabama, Arkansas, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia)

The South is celebrated for its hospitality, down-home cooking, and its blues, jazz, rock 'n' roll, bluegrass and country music traditions. This lush, largely subtropical region includes cool, verdant mountains, plantations, and vast cypress swamps.

Florida

Northern Florida is similar to the rest of the South, but this is not so in the resorts of Orlando, retirement communities, tropical Caribbean-influenced Miami, the Everglades, and 1,200 mi (1,900 km) of sandy beaches.

Midwest (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Ohio, Wisconsin)

A region of simple and hospitable people, farmland, forests, picturesque towns, industrial cities and the Great Lakes largest system of freshwater lakes in the world, which forms the North Coast of the U.S.

Texas

The second biggest state is like a separate country (and indeed once was), with strong cultural influences from its Spanish and Mexican past. The terrain is quite varied, with swamplands in the southeast, flat land and cotton farms in the South Plains, sandy beaches in South Texas and mountains and deserts in far West Texas.

Great Plains (North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma)

A former Wild West frontier land often described as "flatter than a pancake," this region used to consist of endless grasslands. Much of it is now one huge farm after another, with occasional towns, but the remaining prairies are still vast and somewhat desolate.

Rocky Mountains (Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Wyoming)

The spectacular snow-covered Rockies offer hiking, rafting, excellent skiing, deserts, and some large cities.

Southwest (Arizona, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah)

Heavily influenced by Spanish, Mexican and Native American cultures, this area is home to some of the nation's most spectacular natural attractions and flourishing artistic communities. Although mostly empty, the region's deserts contain some big cities.

The U.S. also administers a collection of non-state territories around the world, principally in the Caribbean (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) and Oceania (Guam, American Samoa, the Northern Mariana Islands, and various uninhabited islands and island groups). As these are quite different from the 50 states from a traveler's point of view, they are covered in separate articles.

Cities

The United States has over 10,000 cities, towns, and villages. The following is a list of nine of the most notable. Other cities can be found in their corresponding regions.

Washington, D.C. 📍 – the nation's capital, filled with major museums and monuments
Boston 📍 – best known for its colonial history, its passion for sports, and its universities
Chicago 📍 – "The heart of the Midwest", transportation hub of the nation, and the world's largest commodities trading hub, with massive skyscrapers and other architectural gems
Los Angeles 📍 – home of the film industry, musical artists and surfers, with beautiful mild weather, great natural beauty from mountains to beaches, and endless stretches of freeways
Miami 📍 – this city with a vibrant Latin-influenced Caribbean culture attracts sun-seeking Northerners
New Orleans 📍 – "The Big Easy", the birthplace of jazz, is known for its quaint French Quarter, distinctive cuisine and annual Mardi Gras celebration
New York City 📍 – "The Big Apple" is the country's most populous city, home to Wall Street, big media and advertising, world-class cuisine, arts, architecture, and shopping
San Francisco 📍 – "The City by the Bay", featuring the Golden Gate Bridge, vibrant urban neighborhoods, dramatic fog and high technology
Seattle 📍 – rich museums, monuments, recreation and the Space Needle

Other destinations

These are some of the largest and most famous destinations outside of major cities.

Denali National Park 📍 – a remote national park featuring North America's highest peak, Denali (formerly Mt. McKinley)
Grand Canyon 📍 – one of the world's longest and most visited canyons
Great Smoky Mountains National Park 📍 – national park in the southern Appalachians
Mesa Verde National Park 📍 – well-preserved Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings
Mount Rushmore 📍 – the iconic memorial of four former presidents carved into a cliff face
Niagara Falls 📍 – the massive waterfalls straddling the border with Canada
Walt Disney World 📍 – the most popular vacation resort destination in the world
Yellowstone National Park 📍 – the first national park in the U.S., and home of the Old Faithful geyser
Yosemite National Park 📍 – home of El Capitan, Half Dome, and famous Giant Sequoia trees

Understand

The United States (also known as the "USA," the "U.S.," or just "America") is not the America of television and movies. It is large, complex, and diverse, with distinct cultural and regional identities. Due to the distances involved, traveling between regions can be time-consuming and expensive.

Geography

Appalachians in Georgia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/19/Black_Rock_Mountain_View.jpg/440px-Black_Rock_Mountain_View.jpg) The contiguous United States or "Lower 48" refers to the territory excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Much of the population lives on the Atlantic, Pacific or Gulf of Mexico coasts or along the Great Lakes. Its only land borders, both quite long, are shared with Canada to the north and Mexico to the south. The continental United States are the 48 contiguous states, D.C. and Alaska, but exclude Hawaii.

Grand Tetons , Rocky Mountains, Wyoming](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/d0/Barns_grand_tetons.jpg/440px-Barns_grand_tetons.jpg) The country has three major mountain ranges. The Appalachians extend from Canada to Alabama, a few hundred miles west of the Atlantic Ocean. They are the oldest of the three ranges and offer spectacular sightseeing and excellent camping spots. The Rockies are, on average, the highest in North America, extending from Alaska to New Mexico, with many areas designated as national parks that offer hiking, camping, skiing, and sightseeing opportunities. The combined Sierra Nevada and Cascade ranges are the youngest. The Sierras extend across the "backbone" of California, with sites such as Lake Tahoe and Yosemite National Park, then give way to the even younger volcanic Cascade range, with some of the highest points in the country.

In the center of the country is the Great Plains, which includes the entirety of Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota, North Dakota, and portions of the surrounding states. This region is characterized by long stretches of flat land, and areas of gentle rolling hills. It consists largely of farmland and prairie.

The Gulf of Mexico is to the southeast of Texas, to the south of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Florida's Panhandle, and constitutes the West Coast of Florida.

The Great Lakes define much of the border between the eastern United States and Canada. More fresh water inland seas than lakes, they were formed by the pressure of retreating glaciers at the end of the last Ice Age. The five lakes span hundreds of miles, bordering the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin, Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania and New York, and their shores vary from pristine wilderness areas to industrial "rust belt" cities.

Climate

Although much of the U.S. has a temperate climate, there is also a wide variety from Arctic tundra in Alaska to the tropical weather in Hawaii and South Florida. The Great Plains are dry, flat and grassy, turning into desert in the Far West and Mediterranean along the California coast.

In the winter, major cities in the North and Midwest can see as much as 2 ft (60 cm) of snowfall in one day, with cold temperatures. Summers are humid, but mild. Temperatures over 100 °F (38 °C) sometimes invade the Midwest and Great Plains. Some areas in the northern plains can experience cold temperatures of −30 °F (−34 °C) during the winter. Temperatures below 0 °F (−18 °C) sometimes reach as far south as Oklahoma.

The climate of the South also varies. In the summer, it is hot and humid, but from October through April the weather can range from 60 °F (16 °C) to short cold spells of 20 °F (−7 °C) or so.

The Great Plains and Midwestern states also experience tornadoes from the late spring to early fall, earlier in the south and later in the north. States along the Atlantic coast and the Gulf of Mexico may experience hurricanes between June and November. These intense and dangerous storms frequently miss the U.S. mainland, but evacuations are often ordered and should be heeded.

The Rockies are cold and snowy. Some parts of the Rockies see over 500 inches (1,300 cm) of snow in a season. Even during the summer, temperatures are cool in the mountains, and snow can fall nearly year-round. It is dangerous to go up in the mountains unprepared in the winter and the roads through them can get very icy.

The deserts of the Southwest are hot and dry during the summer, with temperatures often exceeding 100 °F (38 °C). Thunderstorms can be expected in the southwest frequently from July through September. Winters are mild, and snow is unusual. Average annual precipitation is low, usually less than 10 in (250 mm).

Cool and damp weather is common much of the year in the coastal northwest (Oregon and Washington west of the Cascade Range, and the northern part of California west of the Coast Ranges/Cascades). Summers (July through September) are usually quite dry with low humidity, though, making it the ideal climate for outdoor activities. Rain is most frequent in winter, snow is rare, especially along the coast, and extreme temperatures are uncommon. Rain falls almost exclusively from late fall through early spring along the coast. East of the Cascades, the northwest is considerably drier. Much of the inland northwest is either semi-arid or desert, especially in Oregon.

Northeastern and Upper Southern cities are known for summers with temperatures reaching into the 90s °F (32 °C) or more, with extremely high humidity, usually over 80%. This can be a drastic change from the Southwest. High humidity means that the temperature can feel hotter than actual readings. The Northeast also experiences snow, and at least once every few years there will be a dumping of the white stuff in enormous quantities.

History

| | | | United States historical travel topics: Indigenous nations → Pre-Civil War → Civil War → Old West → Industrialization → Postwar |

Native Americans, or American Indians, arrived 13,500 to 16,000 years ago from migrating northeast Asian peoples crossing the Bering Strait into Alaska, and represented a wide variety of sophisticated societies that existed before the first arrival of Europeans in the late 15th century. The Mississippian cultures built huge settlements across the Southeast, and the Anasazi built elaborate cliff-side towns in the Southwest. These societies were decimated by Old-World diseases such as smallpox and were pushed west by warfare and encroaching European settlers. Their diminished numbers led to further marginalization, although today their cultures endure and continue to contribute to the American experience.

European colonization began in the 16th and 17th centuries. England, Spain, and France gained large holdings; the Netherlands, Sweden, and Russia also established outposts. The first English colonies, founded in Jamestown, Virginia (1607) and Plymouth, Massachusetts (1620), formed the kernel of what is now known as the United States.

In the North, Massachusetts was settled by religious immigrants__Puritans__who later spread and founded most of the other New England colonies, creating a highly religious and idealistic region. Other religious groups also founded colonies, including the Quakers in Pennsylvania and Roman Catholics in Maryland. The Middle Colonies of New York, New Jersey, Delaware and Pennsylvania became the North's cosmopolitan center.

Longer growing seasons in the Southern colonies, which remained dominated by Virginia, gave them richer agricultural prospects, especially for cotton and tobacco. As in Latin America and the Caribbean, indentured servants, convicts and later African slaves were imported and forced to cultivate large plantations. Slavery was practiced in both North and South, but its greater importance to the South's economy eventually caused tremendous upheaval.

By the early 18th century, Great Britain had colonized the Atlantic coast from Georgia north into what is now Canada. The last major British migration to the territory that would become the United States took place in middle decades of that century when the Appalachia region was settled. In 1763, British dominance in North America was established after the global Seven Years' War. In part to finance the North American campaigns of the war, known as the French and Indian War, Britain imposed unpopular taxes and regulations on its colonists. This precipitated revolution in 1775 and on 4 July 1776, colonists from 13 colonies declared independence. The Revolutionary War lasted until 1783, when the new United States of America gained sovereignty over all British land between the Atlantic and the Mississippi River. Those still loyal to the British mostly fled north to what is today Canada, which remained under British rule.

Wrangling over the formation of a national government lasted until 1787 when a constitution was agreed upon. Its Enlightenment-era ideas about individual liberty have since inspired the founding decrees of many states. George Washington, the general-in-chief of the revolutionary army, was elected the first president. By the turn of the 19th century, the newly-built Washington, D.C. was established as the national capital.

New states were created as white settlers moved west beyond the Appalachian Mountains. The Native American populations were displaced and further harrowed by war and disease. The 1803 Louisiana Purchase of French lands to the west of the Mississippi (charted by the Lewis and Clark expedition) effectively doubled the size of the nation, and provided "Indian Territory" in what is now Oklahoma for the many Native American tribes from the east that were forcibly relocated during the Trail of Tears of the 1830s.

Further disagreements with British commerce policies arising from the Napoleonic Wars and Royal Navy impressment led to the War of 1812. There were over two years of dramatic action on land and sea that included an invasion of Canada and the burning of the White House and public buildings in Washington, D.C. Virtually no changes of territory resulted from the war, but the war galvanized separate American and Canadian identities. The national anthem, "The Star-Spangled Banner", was conceived during this war. Western Native American tribes that had sided with the British suffered greatly as their territory was given to white settlers.

After the war, industry and infrastructure were expanded greatly, particularly in the Northeast; see American Industry Tour. Roads and canals came first and helped people spread inland. In 1825, the Erie Canal connected the Atlantic to the Great Lakes. By the late 1860s, railroads and telegraph lines connected the east and west coasts via the industrial hub of Chicago in the Midwest. In the early 19th century, a series of religious revivals, the Second Great Awakening, led to various reform movements that strove for goals such as temperance, the abolition of slavery, and women's suffrage.

U.S. expansion south and west chipped away at Spanish and Mexican territory. Spain sold Florida in 1813 after American military intervention, and an 1836 rebellion by American settlers in Mexican Texas founded an independent republic which was absorbed into the Union ten years later. This sparked the Mexican–American War in which Mexico lost what is now California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico, and the contiguous United States essentially assumed its modern outline. Native Americans were relegated to reservations and continued to be purged by treaty, military force, and disease from settlers on the Oregon Trail and other westward routes. (See also: Old West.)

Federal governance was light and the states were highly autonomous. By the 1850s, there was irreconcilable disparity between the industrialized and more urban Northern states, which had all outlawed slavery within three decades of the revolution, and the plantation-dependent rural South. Many in the North wanted to impose a national ban on the expansion of slavery, while the Southern states sought to expand slavery into new territories. Abolitionists operated an Underground Railroad leading fugitive slaves in the northern states to freedom in Canada. In 1861, eleven Southern states, fearful of marginalization and the avowedly anti-slavery President Abraham Lincoln, broke from the Union and formed an independent Confederate States of America. The ensuing American Civil War remains the bloodiest conflict on American soil and killed hundreds of thousands of people. In 1865, Union forces prevailed, firmly cementing the federal government's authority over the states. Slavery was abolished nationwide and the Confederate states were re-admitted into the Union during a period of Reconstruction. The former slaves and their descendants were to remain an economic and social underclass, particularly in the South.

Russia sold its tenuously held Alaskan territory in 1867, and independent Hawaii was annexed in 1898. The United States' decisive victory over Spain in the 1898 Spanish–American War gained it colonial territories: Cuba (granted independence a few years later), the Philippines (granted independence shortly after World War II), Puerto Rico and Guam (which remain American dependencies). The boundaries of the United States took the form we know today in 1959, when the territories of Alaska and Hawaii were granted statehood.

In the late 19th and into the 20th century, Southern and Eastern Europeans, Russian Jews and Irish bolstered the continuing industrialization of the eastern cities by providing cheap labor. Many Southern African-Americans fled rural poverty and racism for industrial jobs in the North. Other immigrants, including many Scandinavians and Germans, moved to newly opened territories in the West and Midwest, where land was given to anyone who would develop it.

The United States' entrance into World War I in 1917 marked the start of an era in which it would become a world power. However, soon after the victory the U.S. eschewed international involvement and refused to join the nascent League of Nations, effectively crippling the organization. Real wealth grew rapidly and in the Roaring 20s stock speculation created an immense financial "bubble". It burst in 1929, leading to the global economic havoc of the Great Depression. The resulting privation fostered a culture of sacrifice and hard work that would serve the country well in the coming conflict. It also ushered in President Franklin D. Roosevelt. His "New Deal" was a series of government programs that constructed thousands of buildings and bridges across the country while creating the basis of the American welfare state.

In 1941 Japan attacked Pearl Harbor, an American naval base in Hawaii, plunging the United States into World War II on the side of the Allied Powers. (See World War II in Europe and the Pacific War.) The U.S. developed atomic bombs and dropped them twice on Japan in 1945, abruptly ending the war. By the end of the war, the United States had firmly established itself as the world's dominant economic power, responsible for nearly half of global industrial production. During the ensuing Cold War, the United States and the Soviet Union jostled for power while courting their own mutually assured destruction with nuclear weapons. Although war between the two superpowers never occurred, both sides were indirectly involved in covert operations and military endeavors through various proxy states that continue to (often negatively) affect the view people have of the United States and its role in global politics.

For the century after the Civil War, black people, though ostensibly equal citizens under the post-Civil War amendments to the U.S. Constitution, suffered through strong social, economic, and political discrimination and state-sanctioned segregation, especially in the South. A movement fighting for full civil rights for black Americans gained strength following World War II, when returning black veterans who fought against racism abroad came home to find they were still heavily discriminated against. The civil rights movement vehemently, but largely peacefully, vied for equal rights. With Martin Luther King, Jr., a charismatic preacher, as its most visible leader, the movement came to a head in 1963 when 200,000–300,000 people flooded the capital to listen to him. The landmark Civil Rights Act that was passed in 1964 outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin, although such discrimination does still exist, mostly in less blatant forms. It would not be until the election of Barack Obama 44 years later in 2008 that the country would have its first African-American president. A revived women's movement in the 1960s also led to wide-ranging changes in American society.

Postwar America was characterized by affluence and industrialization. People left agriculture and moved to the cities to become part of an increasingly technology-based economy. American car culture emerged in the 1950s and was supported by the construction of a comprehensive Interstate Highway System. These trends also led to the rise of suburbia and a decline in public transportation and rail travel, making touring the United States without a car particularly difficult to this day. They also resulted in white flight to the suburbs in many American cities, leaving many black people behind in blighted inner city neighborhoods. The American consumer culture, Hollywood movies and many forms of popular music established the United States as a cultural superpower in the world. The U.S. grew into one of the world's major centers of higher education, and is now home to many of the world's most prestigious universities, attracting more international students than any other country.

Since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States has been the world's sole superpower, and while its hegemony is increasingly being challenged by a resurgent China and Russia, it continues to play the dominant military, economic, political, and cultural role in world affairs. Hopes that after the fall of America's chief rival, expensive and sometimes disastrous wars (such as the Vietnam War) were a thing of the past sadly haven't proven true. Administrations since the end of the Cold War have all had to deal in one form or other with what they call the threat of "rogue states", terrorism, and a rapidly changing geopolitical landscape. The terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, are still very much an open wound and influence the political debate to this day, with heightened security measures at airports being just one way in which terrorism (or the fear of it) has affected travelers. Economically, the "Great Recession", triggered in 2007 by the collapse of the housing market bubble, came to an end in 2009, but the average American has continued to feel the negative effects for many years on.

Government and politics

The United States is a federal republic. Its major constituents are the 50 states and the District of Columbia (Washington D.C.); it also has various island territories in the Caribbean and Pacific that are stronglybut often not fullyintegrated into the union.

The federal government derives its power from the U.S. Constitution, which is the oldest written constitution in continuous use. Within the overarching federal laws, each state maintains its own constitution, government and laws, and so retains considerable autonomy within the federation. State laws can vary in their details but are, for the most part, fairly uniform from state to state.

The President is elected every four years and is the head of the federal government and head of state. The President and their administration form the executive branch. The bicameral Congress (comprising the lower House of Representatives and the upper Senate) is also popularly elected, and constitutes the legislative branch. The Supreme Court tops the judicial branch. State governments are organized similarly, with governors, legislatures, and judiciaries.

Two major political parties have dominated at state and federal levels since the end of the Civil War: the Republican Party (often referred to as the GOP, short for "Grand Old Party") and the Democratic Party. Since the 1960s the Republican Party has become generally the more right-wing or "conservative" party whereas the Democratic Party is usually the more left-wing or "liberal" of the two parties. While smaller political parties exist, the winner-take-all electoral system means that they rarely succeed at any level. Although in much of the world red and blue indicate left- and right-leaning parties respectively, they are reversed in the U.S. so that Republicans are red and Democrats are blue.

Culture

The United States is made up of many diverse ethnic groups and the culture varies greatly across the vast area of the country and even within citiesa city like New York will have dozens, if not hundreds, of different ethnicities represented within a neighborhood. Despite this difference, there exists a strong sense of national identity and certain predominant cultural traits. Generally, Americans tend to believe strongly in personal freedom and responsibility, and that an individual determines his or her own success or failure, but there are many exceptions. You will find Mississippi in the South to be very different culturally from Massachusetts in the North.

Religion is very important in the United States with 80% of people identifying with having a religious affiliation. Current estimates are that 49% of Americans belong to a Protestant church and another 23% are Roman Catholic. 5% of Americans belong to non-Christian religions such as Judaism, Islam, Hinduism and Buddhism. Many businesses and institutions are closed on Sundays, and a number of areas in the South and Midwest forbid certain activities to take place on Sundays, while some Jewish businesses close on Friday nights and Saturdays for the Sabbath.

Although constitutionally a secular state, the United States is in practice more religious than other Western countries such as Australia, Canada and most European countries. However, this trend varies greatly by region, with the West Coast and Northeast being largely secular and the American South being heavily Evangelical Christian. Differences in religiosity often correlate with politics, so the Northeast, West Coast, Hawaii and Chicago metropolitan area are generally progressive and Democratic; most of the South and heavily Mormon states like Utah, Idaho and Wyoming are very conservative and Republican; and much of the rest of the country (e.g., several Midwestern, Southwestern/Rocky Mountain, and Southern coastal states) is nearly evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans. However, even this can be misleading, as many conservative states have college towns and major cities that are very liberal, while liberal states often have rural areas that are very conservative. A trend of the last few decades is one of increasing geographic political polarization. Most Americans now live in counties where their political inclination has a majority of 20% or greater and cities are, on the whole, becoming more and more liberal while rural areas are becoming more and more conservative with the middle ground disappearing.

Holidays

Always gotta be different

Whereas most countries celebrate Labor Day on May 1 to commemorate the Haymarket affair of 1886, the U.S. chose to celebrate it in September, due to fear that a May celebration would encourage similar Haymarket-style protests and energize the radical left.

November 11, which is Remembrance Day in Europe and most Commonwealth countries, has been expanded to celebrate all veterans of the U.S. armed forces; Memorial Day serves the purpose of recognizing war dead.

There are no nationwide, mandatory public holidays. Federal holidays are the most centrally coordinated holidays, but they are only mandatory for the federal government and banks. All federal government offices, post offices and banks close on federal holidays, but private businesses may choose whether or not to observe them.

Nearly all states and localities observe the federal holidays; most also observe an additional handful of their own. If a federal holiday falls on a weekend, the observance will be shifted to the nearest weekday (either Friday or Monday), with closures similar to Presidents Day in February. The festivities and major retail closings will occur on the annual date, even if it's the weekend.

The time between Thanksgiving (the fourth Thursday in November) and January 1 has such a high concentration of major holidays that it is commonly called "the holiday season." Many people take vacations during this period, with people visiting family and friends. Airports, interstate highways, bus stations, and train stations will be very crowded near the major holidays. If you must travel, allow extra time to check in and clear security. This is also a major gift-giving season: most shopping malls and department stores will be crowded, especially on the day after Thanksgiving, the week before Christmas, and the day after Christmas.

As in most other countries where alcohol is legal, be careful on the roads at and around major holidays, such as New Year's, Memorial Day, or Independence Day, as there are more drunk drivers on the roads then.

In the list below, federal holidays are listed in bold italics. In addition to federal holidays, the following list includes holidays that may inconvenience travelers, and nationwide celebrations of other events that may be of interest to travelers:

New Year's Day (1 January) – most non-retail businesses closed; parades; brunches and football parties.
Martin Luther King Day (third Monday in January) – many government offices and banks closed; people volunteer in their communities; speeches, especially on African-American history and culture.
Chinese or Lunar New Year (January/February – varies based on the lunar calendar) – Asian-Americans hold cultural celebrations.
Super Bowl Sunday (starting in 2022, the second Sunday in February) – This annual championship game of the National Football League (NFL) is the most-watched sporting event of the year; supermarkets, bars, and electronics stores busy; big football-watching parties.
Valentine's Day (14 February) – private celebration of romance and love. Most restaurants are crowded; more popular restaurants may require reservations made well in advance.
Presidents Day or Washington's Birthday (third Monday in February) – many government offices and banks closed; some non-retail businesses closed; many stores have sales, especially furniture and mattress stores.
St. Patrick's Day (17 March) – Irish-themed parades and parties. Expect bars to be crowded. They will often feature themed drink specials. The wearing of green clothes or accessories is common.
Good Friday (the Friday before Easter) – Christian (especially Catholic) religious observances. Some restaurants and shops close. The governments of some states with large Catholic populations (e.g. New Jersey) observe the holiday and close government offices on this day.
Easter (a Sunday in March or April) – Christian religious observances. Many fast-food restaurants are closed, but sit-down restaurants are more likely to be open. Major retailers generally open; smaller shops may or may not close.
Passover (varies based on the Jewish calendar, eight days around Easter) – Jewish religious observances. Many American Jews invite non-Jews to their Seder on one of the first two nights. Expect very heavy traffic on Seder afternoons and evenings in areas with large Jewish populations such as the New York Metro Area and South Florida.
Cinco de Mayo (5 May) – A minor holiday in Mexico that celebrates the 1862 Battle of Puebla against the French, but a major celebration of Mexican-American culture. Expect bars to be crowded, even in places without large Mexican-American communities.
Mother's Day (second Sunday in May) – Children and adults give gifts to their mothers. Most restaurants are crowded, especially for brunch and lunch; some restaurants may require reservations made well in advance.
Memorial Day (last Monday in May) – most non-retail businesses closed; some patriotic observances; trips to beaches and parks; traditional beginning of summer tourism season.
Father's Day (third Sunday in June) – Children and adults give gifts to their fathers. Many restaurants and sporting events are crowded, although not to the same extent as Mother's Day.
Juneteenth National Independence Day (19 June) – Added as a new federal holiday in 2021 after being recognized in states and cities for many years, Juneteenth celebrates the emancipation of African-Americans who had been enslaved in the United States. It was on this date in 1865 when slaves in Texas were told that they were free, while officially informed about President Lincoln’s executive order of 22 September 1862 (also known as the Emancipation Proclamation).
Independence Day/Fourth of July (4 July) – most non-retail businesses closed; patriotic parades and concerts, cookouts and trips to beaches and parks. Fireworks displays, both professional and amateur, which often continue well into the night or early morning. Almost every town puts on some sort of festivity to celebrate the day.
Labor Day (first Monday in September) – most non-retail businesses closed; cookouts and trips to beaches and parks; many stores have sales; traditional ending of summer tourism season.
Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur (varies based on the Jewish calendar, September or early October) – Jewish religious observances.
Columbus Day (second Monday in October) – commemorates the "discovery" of North America by Christopher Columbus. Many government offices and banks closed; some stores have sales. Italian-themed parades in some cities. Columbus Day can be controversial, especially among Native Americans and Latinos, and is not as widely observed as it was in the past. In some places, Columbus Day has been renamed as Indigenous People's Day, with celebrations of native cultures occurring. Other places have opted to refer to the day as Italian Heritage Day, in some instances celebrated in conjunction with Indigenous People's Day.
Halloween (31 October) – Children dress up in costume and go trick-or-treating (knocking on other houses' doors to get candy and other treats). There are spooky attractions, such as haunted corn mazes, hayrides and costume parties. Some small family-owned shops and restaurants may close early in the evening. Adults get in on the action too: boozy Halloween parties and bar-hopping in costume are common, often taking place on "Halloweekend": the weekend prior to October 31st.
Veterans Day (11 November) – government offices and banks closed; some patriotic observances.
Thanksgiving Day (fourth Thursday in November) – Family dinners with roast turkey as the centerpiece; many people fly or drive to visit extended family. New York City and Chicago host parades, Detroit and many other cities hold races. Many other smaller events fill the landscape, including a re-creation of the original Thanksgiving dinner in Plymouth, Massachusetts. Airports are extremely crowded on the Wednesday before and Sunday after Thanksgiving. Most businesses closed, including grocery stores and many restaurants.
Black Friday (day after Thanksgiving) – Major Christmas shopping traditionally begins, most stores have sales and many open in the very early morning (with a few now opening on Thanksgiving night). Most non-retail employees are given Friday off or take it as a vacation.
Hanukkah/Chanukah (varies based on the Jewish calendar, eight days usually in December) – Jewish religious observances, often culturally associated with Christmas.
Christmas (25 December) – Families and close friends exchange gifts; Christian religious observances. Almost all businesses, grocery stores, and many restaurants closed the evening before and all day. Many offices close at noon on the 24th, with everything closed on the 25th. However, many Chinese and Jewish businesses remain open.
Kwanzaa (26 December – 1 January) – African-American cultural observances.
New Year's Eve (31 December) – many restaurants and bars open late; lots of parties, especially in big cities. Some offices close at noon.

All U.S. embassies are closed on the federal holidays in addition to the holidays of the host country.

Units of measure

Instead of metric units, the United States often uses "customary units" (feet, miles, gallons, pounds, etc.), which are largely derived from the English units of the 18th century, and are sometimes different from the imperial units that occasionally linger in Britain. Road distances are given in miles and speed limits in miles per hour (1 mile is 1.61 km, or 1 km is 0.62 miles). One of the more confusing things is that an "ounce" can be either a measure of weight or (as a "fluid ounce") a measure of volume. The U.S. fluid ounce is also slightly larger than its imperial counterpart, while U.S. gallons, quarts and pints are smaller than their counterparts. Gasoline and other liquids are usually sold per gallon, quart, or fluid ounce (a U.S. gallon is 3.78 liters, so a U.S. quart [a _quart_er gallon] is slightly less than a liter). Beverages such as soda are sometimes sold by the liter and other times sold by the fluid ounce, with just under 34 ounces to a liter. Temperatures are usually reported in Fahrenheit only; 32° is actually freezing, not warm! Most cars' speedometers show both mph and km/h (good for trips to Canada and Mexico), and almost all packaged foods and other products are labeled in both systems. Outside of science, medicine and the military, there is little day-to-day exposure to the metric system, so Americans will assume you understand the U.S. customary measures.

There is no formal regulation of clothes or shoe sizes, and the only thing you can count on is that sizes tend to be consistent within the same brand. For shoe sizes some trial and error will be needed for each model.

Time zones

Time zones of the U.S. as of 2007; nowadays, some Indiana counties have moved to Eastern time Taking into consideration even the small territories in the Pacific Ocean (some of which cannot be easily accessed) the U.S. spans eleven time zones. Just four time zones are used in the contiguous 48 states, with an additional two covering Alaska and Hawaii. Time zone borders do not always correspond to state borders.

Eastern Time (UTC-5): Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Rhode Island, New York, Michigan except extreme northwestern counties, Indiana except the southwest and northwest corners, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, eastern Kentucky, West Virginia, Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, Delaware, eastern Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Florida except western part of panhandle.
Central Time (UTC-6): Wisconsin, Illinois, the southwest and northwest corners of Indiana, western Kentucky, western and middle Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, Arkansas, Louisiana, north and east North Dakota, eastern South Dakota, middle and eastern Nebraska, most of Kansas, Oklahoma, most of Texas, part of western Florida(panhandle).
Mountain Time (UTC-7): southwest North Dakota, western South Dakota, western Nebraska, a sliver of Kansas, Montana, a sliver of Oregon, southern Idaho, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, Arizona, New Mexico, a corner of Texas, West Wendover, Nevada
Pacific Time (UTC-8): Washington, northern Idaho, most of Oregon, California, Nevada except West Wendover
Alaska Time (UTC-9): Alaska, except the Aleutian Islands
Hawaii-Aleutian Time (UTC-10): Hawaii, the Aleutian Islands

Most parts of the U.S. observe Daylight Saving Time; Hawaii and Arizona (except the Navajo Nation) do not.

Talk

"Two countries divided by a common language"

<p>     _For more words that differ across the two varieties, see [English language varieties](English_language_varieties)_</p> Speakers of British English will find many terms which differ in American English. Here are a few:

chips – crisps
diaper – nappy
elevator – lift
highway, freeway – motorway
flashlight – torch
fries – chips
friend, buddy – mate
cookies – biscuits
biscuits – scones
gas, gasoline – petrol
subway – underground
line – queue
apartment, apartment building – flat
liquor store, package store – off licence, off sales
restroom, bathroom – toilet, loo
round-trip ticket – return ticket
sidewalk – footpath or pavement
to-go (in ordering food) – take-away

Almost all Americans speak English. Most Americans speak in accents that are recognizably similar to one another and to one traditionally associated with the Midwest, which was popularized in the 20th century by American radio, TV and movies. Although many Americans can discern differences between quite a few accents, the ones most likely to be heard as distinctive by foreign visitors include those commonly spoken in the South and Texas, the Boston area, the New York City area, the upper Midwest and Hawaii.

American English differs somewhat from the English spoken in other parts of the English speaking world. These differences are mostly minor, and primarily around minor spelling and pronunciation differences. One important difference, though, is that dates are often written MM/DD/YYYY or MM/DD. See the article on English language varieties for a detailed discussion.

Many African-Americans and some other Americans also speak African-American Vernacular English (AAVE), which has somewhat different grammar and vocabulary from styles of American English usually regarded as standard. Nearly all African-Americans can switch back and forth between AAVE and standard American English effortlessly. Generally, if you are not African-American, you should not try to speak AAVE, even if it's spoken to you; it would be considered odd and possibly offensive. Spanglishan admixture of Spanish and Englishis similarly commonplace in many areas with large Hispanic populations, and code-switching between Spanglish and standard American English is similarly commonplace.

Visitors are generally expected to speak and understand English. While many Americans study a foreign language in school (overwhelmingly Spanish followed by French), few progress past the basics. Popular tourist sites often have signs and information available in other languages. Americans have a long history of immigration and are very accommodating towards foreign accents, and will sometimes take the effort to help you by speaking in a more standard accent. Major cities often have groups of foreign language learners who meet up regularly to practice their language skills, and these can be a good way to meet locals if you speak the language in question. Meetup.com is the most popular web-site listing many of these groups, though other less well-known web-sites also exist.

Spanish is the first language of Puerto Rico and a large minority of residents on the mainland (with the fifth-largest Spanish speaking population in the world). Spanish speakers in the United States are often Puerto Ricans or first- and second-generation immigrants from Latin America. As a result, the Spanish spoken is almost invariably a Latin American dialect. Spanish is the primary second language in many parts of the United States such as California, the Southwest, Texas, Florida, and the metropolitan areas of Chicago and New York City. Many of these areas have Spanish-language radio and television stations, with local, national and Mexican programs. Most publications from the federal government, and those of some state and municipal governments are available in Spanish. Many establishments and government offices in major commercial and tourist areas have Spanish-speaking staff on duty, and it is possible with some difficulty to get by in the major cities and main tourist attractions speaking only Spanish.

You may encounter other languages in some regions, like Hawaiian, French, American Indian languages (Navajo being the most commonly spoken one), Yiddish, and Pennsylvania Dutch. These are covered in regional articles.

American Sign Language (ASL) is the dominant sign language in the United States. When events are interpreted, they will be interpreted in ASL. Users of French Sign Language and other related languages may find ASL intelligible, as they share much vocabulary, but users of Japanese Sign Language, British Sign Language, or Auslan will not. Closed-captioning on television is widespread, but far from ubiquitous. Many theaters offer FM loops or other assistive listening devices, but captioning and interpreters are rarer.

For the blind, many signs and displays include Braille transcriptions of the printed English. Larger restaurant chains, museums, and parks may offer Braille menus and guidebooks, but you'll likely have to ask for them.

Get in

The United States has reopened its borders to fully vaccinated foreigners for non-essential travel, including tourism. Only vaccines approved and authorized by the U.S. FDA or the WHO will be accepted. Travelers that have received two different vaccines (mixed doses) at least 17 days apart will qualify as fully vaccinated.

Foreigners that do not qualify as fully vaccinated, whether traveling by air or by land, will be denied entry. Exceptions to the mandate include children under the age of 18, those arriving by air from a country with a low vaccination rate due to a lack of available vaccines, and those traveling for humanitarian reasons.

The U.S. CDC recommends, but does not require, that air passengers take a COVID-19 test within three days of their departure to the United States and again within 3-5 days after arrival. Unvaccinated foreigners will be asked (and possibly attest) to self-isolate for 5 days and take a COVID test 3-5 days after arrival. For unvaccinated Americans, quarantine and testing is recommended but not required. Those with documented proof of recovery from COVID-19 between 10 and 91 days of departure are exempted from all testing and quarantine requirements.

Foreigners entering the United States by land must be prepared to prove their vaccination status to a border officer. COVID testing after crossing the land border is not required, regardless of vaccination status.

Note that state and local mandates may supersede all of these rules and recommendations, even if fully vaccinated, so it is important to check on any requirements prior to travel.

The United States has exceptionally onerous and complicated visa requirements. Read up carefully before your visit, especially if you need to apply for a visa, and consult the Bureau of Consular Affairs. Travelers have been refused entry for many reasons, often trivial. Since 2019, visitors to the U.S. have also been required to fully document mobile phone numbers, e-mail addresses and on-line identities they've used in the past five years, during the application process.

Planning and pre-arrival documentation

Visa-free entry

Citizens of the 38 countries within the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), as well as Canadians and Bermudians do not require visas for entry into the United States. Canadians and Bermudians are normally allowed to visit for up to six months. Permanent residents of Canada are not eligible for visa-free entry, unless they are also citizens of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program, or one of the separate provisions for a few other countries.

The Visa Waiver Program permits visa-free stays of up to 90 days; it applies to citizens of Andorra, Austria, Australia, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan (passport must include ID card number), and the United Kingdom (must have right of abode in the UK, Channel Islands or Isle of Man).

Citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and Palau may enter, reside, study, and work in the U.S. indefinitely with only a valid passport.

Citizens of the Bahamas may apply for visa-free entry only at the U.S. Customs pre-clearance facilities in the Bahamas, but a valid police certificate that was issued within the last six months is required for those over the age of 14. Attempting to enter through any other port of entry requires a valid visa.

Citizens of the Turks and Caicos Islands may enter the U.S. without a visa only if they are travelling on a direct flight from there, but a valid police certificate issued within the last six months is required for those over the age of 14. Attempting to enter from any other country requires a valid visa.

Cayman Islands citizens, if they intend to travel directly to the U.S. from there, may obtain a single-entry visa waiver for about $25 prior to departure. A valid police certificate that was issued within the last three months is required for those over the age of 13. Attempting to enter from any other country will require you to have a valid visa.

With only a few exceptionstraffic violations, civil infractions (e.g. littering, noise violations, disorderly conduct), purely political offenses (e.g. non-violent protest in countries where it is not allowed), and offenses committed before the age of 16a criminal record will likely revoke any right to visa-free travel to the U.S. Anyone with a criminal record, including Canadians and Bermudians, should seek advice from a U.S. embassy on whether they need to obtain a visa.

Visa Waiver Program requirements

The program is open only to travellers who are in the United States for tourism or business purposes. You cannot come to the U.S. for formal education, to get a job, or to conduct journalism under this program; if you plan to do so, you must get an appropriate visa in advance no matter how short your trip to the U.S. may be.

The 90-day limit is not extendable. A short trip to Canada, Mexico, or the Caribbean will not allow a fresh 90 days upon return to the U.S. An extended absence to the neighboring countries may reset the limit, particularly if your first trip to the U.S. was short. Take care if transiting through the U.S. on a trip around North America that exceeds 90 days.

Having a criminal record, having been refused entry, or having been denied a U.S. visa will make you ineligible to enter on the VWP; you will have to apply for a U.S. visa instead.

Entry under the VWP by air or sea requires the completion of an online form and a payment of $21, preferably 72 hours before arrival. The form is called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). ESTA approval covers multiple trips and is valid for two years (unless your passport expires earlier). This requirement is waived if entering by land.

All passports must be biometric. If your passport is an older one that was issued before biometric passports were available, you will need to obtain a new passport to travel to the U.S. on the VWP.

Entry under the VWP by air or sea requires travel with a signatory carrier. Any commercial scheduled services to the U.S. will be fine, but if you are on a chartered flight or vessel you should check the status of the carrier, as you may require a visa. Flying your own personal aircraft, or sailing your own personal yacht to the U.S. will require you to obtain a tourist visa in advance.

Travellers entering by air or sea should also have a return or onward ticket out of the United States. This requirement is not necessary for residents of Canada, Mexico, Bermuda, or the Caribbean.

Entry under the VWP does not allow you to change your immigration status, and if you are denied entry, the decision can't be appealed and you will immediately be placed on the first flight out.

Obtaining a visa

U.S. Visa/Residence Status Overview

B-1: Business visitor
B-2: Tourist ("visitor for pleasure")
B-1/B-2: Combo visa that can be used for either or both tourism and business
C-1: Transit
F-1: Academic Student
H-1B / L-1: Employment
J-1: Exchange Program / Postdoctoral Researcher
M-1: Vocational Student
O-1 / P-1: Sportsperson / Performing Artiste
WB: Visa Waiver Program, Business; not extendable past 90 days
WT: Visa Waiver Program, Tourist; not extendable past 90 days

For the rest of the world, the visa application fee is a non-refundable $160 (as of October 2018) for visas that are not issued on the basis of a petition and $190 for those that are; this fee is waived under very limited circumstances, namely for people requesting certain exchange visitor visas.

Depending on your nationality and the category of visa you are requesting, you may need to pay an additional fee (ranging from $7–200) only if the visa is issued. This is called a reciprocity fee and is charged by the U.S. to match the fees charged by other countries on U.S. citizens.

Additionally, Chinese (PRC) citizens (that is, anyone traveling to the U.S. on a PRC passport) must enroll in the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) for travel into the United States on any 10-year B-type visa. The enrollment is valid for two years (or until passport/visa expiry, whichever comes first) before it needs to be updated again.

The Immigration and Nationality Act states that all persons requesting entry into the U.S. as non-immigrants are presumed to be immigrants until they overcome that presumption by showing evidence of "binding ties" to their home country, and sufficient proof that the visit will be temporary. Applicants also need to demonstrate that they are genuinely entitled to the visa they are applying for. Face-to-face interviews at the nearest U.S. embassy or consulate are required for almost all nationalities, and waits for interview slots and visa processing can add up to several months.

Embassies are closed on U.S. holidays and on holidays of the host country, so you need to know both holidays when setting dates to apply for a visa. You should start planning your trip far in advance, as the application process is known to take up to six months.

Do not assume anything. Check on documentation requirements with the U.S. State Department or with the nearest U.S. consulate.

Your visa is generally not tied to your permitted length of stay; for example, a 10-year visa does not allow a stay of 10 years. On the other hand, you can enter the country on the last day of validity of your visa and still be allowed to stay, for example, up to 180 days as a tourist.

Travel to U.S. possessions

America's overseas possessions have slightly different rules. See each destination's article for details.

In brief, Guam, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands and the Northern Mariana Islands all have the same entry requirements as the 50 states. However, Guam and the Northern Marianas apply the visa waiver program to a few additional countries, while the U.S. Virgin Islands also allows visa-free entry to citizens of the British Virgin Islands.

American Samoa lies outside the federal immigration jurisdiction and has separate entry requirements.

Arriving in the United States

Immigration

Customs

Each household (i.e. family members living and traveling together) needs to complete one customs declaration form. Travellers eligible for APC, as well as Global Entry and NEXUS members, can do this electronically using the respective kiosks and need not fill up the paper form. Those eligible for Mobile Passport Control (U.S. citizens and some Canadian citizens) also do not need to fill out the form, provided they have completed the app's questions and have a QR code ready to go. Detailed and up-to-date information on prohibited and restricted items can be found at the relevant government website.

Do not attempt to import items originating from countries against which the U.S. has imposed economic sanctions (Cuba, Iran, Syria and Sudan); they will be confiscated by customs if discovered. An exception to this rule is cigars and alcoholic beverages (mainly rum) originating from Cuba. With the ongoing thaw in U.S.–Cuban relations, the U.S. has lifted sanctions against importation of these items for personal use (limits are the same as for tobacco and alcohol originating elsewhere).

The United States has very strict biosecurity laws, and imposes restrictions on the types of food that may be brought into the country. In general, fresh food may not be brought into the country, though some types of processed, commercially packaged food may be allowed, depending on the country of origin. Check with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for more details. All food and plant items being brought into the country must declared and inspected by customs, even if permitted. Failure to declare agricultural products can result in a fine, or in serious cases even prosecution.

Besides your personal effects, which will go home with you, you are allowed to import individual gifts with a value of $100 or less per item. If you're 21 years of age or older, you may also import limited quantities of tobacco and alcohol products duty-free:

Up to 200 cigarettes (one carton), or up to 50 cigars, or up to 2 kg of loose tobacco products such as snuff, or a proportional combination thereof.
Up to 1 liter of alcohol. Unlike some countries, the one-liter restriction applies irrespective of strength: a fifth of Scotch at 40% ABV or a standard 750 mL bottle of wine at 14% ABV are both within the allowance, but a six-pack of 12-ounce beers at 5% ABV is almost 2 liters and is over the duty-free allowance. If you are over the alcohol exemption by a small amount (e.g. a six pack of beer or a second bottle of wine) most customs officers will let this slide for wine and beer if you've made a full and accurate declaration. Anything more than this, or any hard spirits over the limit will likely result in duty and tax being assessed, the amount of which depends in part on the state you're entering to and the country the goods are from. (Duty from Canada, for example, is minimal owing in part to NAFTA.) Customs officers do not show this leniency with tobacco products; expect to pay if you are even one cigarette over!

Note that when leaving from certain airports with pre-clearance, there may be duty-free shops in the pre-clearance area, past the point at which Customs can inspect them and assess any applicable duties upon arrival into the U.S. To cover this "loophole", there is a dollar value limit imposed on the amount of purchases one is allowed to make in these shops (at YVR pre-clearance as of late 2019 this limit was $800), which is still far higher than the per-item limits listed above.

A reasonable quantity of perfume or cologne can also be imported provided the brand is not under a "Trademark Restriction in the United States". There is no restriction on the amount of money you can bring into or out of the U.S. However, if you are travelling with $10,000 or more (or its equivalent in foreign currency) per household, you must declare it on your customs form and you will be given a special form to fill out; not declaring exposes you to a fine and possible seizure of that cash. Checks, bonds and other financial instruments must also be declared. ATM/Debit cards linked to non-U.S. bank accounts carrying the said amount do not need to be declared (although your bank may impose some withdrawal restrictions and fees to access this money in the U.S.).

The U.S. possessions of American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Marianas Islands, and U.S. Virgin Islands are outside the federal customs jurisdiction and each have their own separate requirements. Travel between these regions and the rest of the U.S. requires a customs check. There are some differences (mostly larger) in duty exemptions for U.S. citizens returning from these destinations.

Leaving the United States

Thinking of Overstaying?

Overstaying the period granted at passport control or violating your terms of entry (e.g. work on a B1/B2 status) will automatically invalidate your visa. It will also make it extremely difficult to re-enter the United States and may also bar you from re-entry for at least three years, if not permanently. If you overstayed on the Visa Waiver Program, you will need a visa for all future visits.

If you overstay for compelling reasons such as medical emergencies and flight delays or cancellations, you will need to keep immigration officials informed of your situation in order to avoid any of the above sanctions.

Unlike most countries, the U.S. has no formal passport control upon exit, especially for those travelling by air or sea. As such, your airline or shipping company will document your departure and report it to the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP). The CBP then updates your immigration record. Aliens who arrived in the U.S. by commercial air or sea vessels after mid-2013, and depart by commercial air or sea vessels do not need to do anything further (except depart on time of course).

If you fall into one of the following categories, you may need to take further action to actively prove that you left the U.S. on time:

last arrived in the U.S. before mid-2013 through any means (when the paper I-94 card was still physically issued to foreigners): turn over the I-94 card to the airline staff at check-in, or to the Canadian or Mexican immigration officer if departing by land
arrived in the U.S. via land or private vehicles (paper I-94 cards are still issued here): turnover the I-94 card to the airline staff at check-in, or to the Canadian or Mexican immigration officer if departing by land
left the U.S. via land or private vehicles: save any evidence that you were outside the U.S. before your authorized stay expired

In any case, on future visits, consider bringing the necessary documents to prove you left legally. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has information about what to do if your slip is not collected.

If you take a side trip to Canada or Mexico by land and return within 30 days or the allowed time of your stay (whichever is shorter), you may re-enter the U.S. provided that you do not yet return any issued I-94 card before you proceed to Canada or Mexico. This can also be done even if you entered the U.S. on a single-entry visa, or the visa you entered the U.S. with has expired. However, you will only be admitted for the remainder of your original allowed time; the deadline to leave the U.S. won't be extended by just leaving for somewhere else in North America. If you return the I-94 while on the side trip, you will have to apply all over again to enter the U.S. (which means a new visa for single-entry visa holders) and be subject to the usual questioning.

Try to avoid re-entering the U.S. a few days, weeks or months after one visit. Even if you don't overstay your visa, several U.S. visits spaced shortly after each other may be interpreted by immigration officers as intent to immigrate.

By plane

Enhanced Security Measures

Passengers on flights to the United States are subject to rigorous checks and security measures prior to boarding. This may include a comprehensive bag search, and rigorous questioning by security personnel for all passengers prior to being allowed to board the aircraft. Arrive at the check-in counter at least 3 hours before your scheduled departure time, and at the boarding gate early so you have enough time to complete all security procedures.

Most visitors from outside Canada and Mexico arrive in the United States by plane. While many medium sized inland cities have an international airport, there are limited flights to most of these and most travelers find themselves entering the U.S. at one of the major entry points along the coasts. The international airports in Atlanta (IATA: ATL), New York City (IATA: EWR & IATA: JFK; for all airports, IATA: NYC), Los Angeles (IATA: LAX), Chicago (IATA: ORD; for all airports, IATA: CHI), San Francisco (IATA: SFO), Seattle (IATA: SEA), Miami (IATA: MIA) and Houston (IATA: IAH) are the main points of entry to the United States by plane.

In general, major cities on the east coast have the best connections to Europe, Africa, the Caribbean and the Middle East, while major cities on the west coast have the best connections to East Asia, Southeast Asia and Oceania. Most sizeable cities would be served by at least one flight to a major Canadian city, while New York City, Miami, Los Angeles and Houston generally provide the best connections to Latin America. Direct air travel from Cuba was restored to Miami after a 55-year embargo was relaxed in 2014, but some restrictions continue to apply; see the Americans in Cuba article.

The "big three" carriers, United Airlines, American Airlines and Delta Air Lines, are among the largest airlines in the world, and operate flights from various cities around the globe into their respective hubs. Other smaller U.S.-based airlines also fly internationally, though options are usually limited to destinations within the Americas. Most major European and East Asian airlines also fly from their respective countries into several of the major hubs, with British Airways in particular having one of the most comprehensive networks into U.S. cities from their hub in London Heathrow.

The U.S. requires full entry formalities even for international transit. If you normally need a visa to visit the U.S. and can't avoid a transit, you will need at least a C-1 transit visa. If you are transferring to a domestic flight, you must go through customs and immigration at your first U.S. stop; make sure you allow ample time to make any transfers. This means collecting your bags at your port of entry and rechecking them in at designated drop-off points again. You will also need to go through a full security check before boarding your onward flight (see next section).

Most airports have near the exit a wall of "courtesy phones" with the description and the prices of motels in the area. You can call these motels free of charge and ask for a room and a pick-up shuttle will come to fetch you at the airport. The shuttles are usually free of charge, but you should tip the driver.

Airport security

Security at U.S. airports is onerous, especially during busy holiday periods. Allow plenty of time (at least 15 minutes, sometimes more than 1 hour) and pack as lightly as possible. Security is handled by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). Adults must show approved photo ID (a passport is sufficient).

When connecting from an international flight, all passengers must go through security screening to continue on the onward flight, after clearing immigration and customs inspections. That means all liquids and prohibited items (per TSA rules) that were purchased in a Duty Free shop or allowed through as carry on from a foreign airport must re-packed into checked luggage after coming out of the customs area and before re-checking luggage. In most airports there is a check-in desk outside or conveyor belt outside of customs for transiting passengers to re-check their luggage. Items cannot be re-packed or re-arranged before customs inspections in the luggage reclaim area.

There are limitations on liquids (including gels, aerosols, creams, and pastes) in carry-on baggage. Ensure that any liquids are held in containers no bigger than 3.4 ounces (100 mL). The containers must all be placed within a single zippered plastic bag that is 1 quart (946 mL) or less in size. Only one such bag, with however much liquid, is allowed per passenger. Medications (including saline solution for contact lenses) and infant and child nourishment are exempt but subject to additional testing; notify TSA agents if you are carrying these items, store them separately from your other liquids, and clearly label them in advance.

If you wish to lock your checked baggage, the TSA requires you to use special locks that have the Travel Sentry TSA lock system. These locks can be opened by TSA officials using a master key should they wish to inspect your bag. If your lock is not one of the TSA-approved locks, the TSA will break it open and you will not be entitled to any compensation for the damage.

Pre-clearance

Passengers whose journeys begin in airports with pre-clearance facilities will usually be able to clear U.S. entry formalities (passport control and customs) at their port of exit. Upon arrival, these flights are treated the same as U.S. domestic flights. Furthermore, those with an onward connection to a domestic flight in the same terminal can simply proceed to that connecting flight without claiming their bags or clearing security, meaning that liquids and otherwise TSA-prohibited items purchased in the originating airport can be carried through. ;From Canada Passengers whose journeys begin or connect in major Canadian airports and involve either U.S. or Canadian carriers will usually be able to clear U.S. entry formalities (passport control and customs) at their Canadian port of exit. These flights are treated the same as U.S. domestic flights, and most Canadian carriers are located in U.S. domestic terminals or concourses in most airports. Some airports (such as LaGuardia Airport in New York City) that don't have customs and immigration facilities receive pre-cleared flights from Canada.

Travelers on U.S.–Canadian flights operated by foreign carriers like Cathay Pacific, and those from minor Canadian airports that do not have preclearance facilities will still encounter full entry formalities upon arrival at their first U.S. stop; a Canadian transit visa may be required even if passengers are confined to a holding area for the entire transit time.

Some airports in Canada, including Vancouver International Airport, Terminal 1 of Toronto Pearson International Airport, and Montreal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport generally do not require passengers in transit from abroad to pass through Canadian Customs and Immigration controls before going through U.S. preclearance formalities. However, even if you pass through these airports, make sure that your papers are in order to allow you to enter Canada: if you cannot travel to the U.S. on the same day you go through preclearance, if you are not cleared for entry to the United States, or if you and/or your luggage is not checked through by your airline to at least your first destination in the United States, you must report to Canada Customs; a Canadian transit or temporary resident visa may be required. This arrangement does not apply in the reverse direction, meaning that you must pass through Canadian customs and immigration on your flight out.

;From other countries Preclearance facilities are available at Queen Beatrix International Airport in Aruba, Grand Bahama and Lynden Pindling International Airports in the Bahamas, Bermuda International Airport, Dublin and Shannon International Airports in Ireland, and Abu Dhabi International Airport in the United Arab Emirates.

Passengers on British Airways flights from London to New York City transiting via either Dublin or Shannon, Ireland, can take advantage of U.S. passport control and customs preclearance at Dublin or Shannon.

By car

The U.S.–Canada and U.S.–Mexico borders are two of the most frequently crossed borders with millions of crossings daily. Average wait times are up to 30 minutes, but some of the busiest crossings encounter considerable delaysapproaching 1–2 hours at peak times (weekends, holidays). Current wait times (updated hourly) are available on the U.S. customs service website. The U.S.–Mexico border is lucrative for drug trafficking, so vehicles crossing may be X-rayed or searched by a drug-sniffing dog. If there is suspicion, your vehicle may be searched. Since this is an all-too-common event, expect no patience from border agents.

Foreigners entering by land are required to pay a $6 fee when crossing the border. No fee is payable if you made a side trip to Canada or Mexico and are simply re-entering the U.S.

By bus

Greyhound offers inexpensive cross-border service from Canada and Mexico. Some routes, such as Toronto to Buffalo, have hourly service. Megabus U.S. also runs daily trips from Toronto (also a hub for Megabus Canada) to New York City via Buffalo for as low as $1.

One of the routes of the city bus system of Windsor, Ontario (the Tunnel Bus) takes passengers to Detroit -- pedestrians or bicycles are not allowed on the bridge, in the tunnel, or on the ferry.

Bus passengers often experience greater scrutiny from U.S. customs officials than car or train passengers.

By boat

Entry by sea is not very common today. The most common entry points for private boats are Los Angeles, or Florida and other Eastern coastal states. Some passenger ferries from Canada exist, mostly between British Columbia and Washington State or Alaska.

Cunard offers transatlantic ship travel between the United Kingdom and New York City.

The ferries between British Columbia and Washington state are treated as land border crossings rather than sea entry points. This means that while ESTA is not required for VWP visitors, visitors entering the U.S. this way will be required to pay the $6 entry fee levied at land border crossings.

By train

Amtrak offers international service from the Canadian cities of Vancouver (Amtrak Cascades to Seattle), Toronto (Maple Leaf to New York City via Niagara Falls), and Montreal (Adirondack to New York City via Albany).

On international trains from Montreal and Toronto, immigration formalities are conducted at the border; this takes significantly more time than it would on a bus, which means the bus is often less expensive and faster than the train.

Travelers from Vancouver clear U.S. immigration and customs at Pacific Central Station before they get on the train itself, just as they do for air travel. Be sure to allow enough time for inspections.

From Mexico the nearest Amtrak stations are in San Diego, Yuma, Del Rio and El Paso. Amtrak trains do not cross the border into Mexico so passengers continue to the border by local public transportation or by taxi from the Amtrak station. There are no passenger trains to the border from anywhere in Mexico.

By foot

There are many border crossings in urban areas which can be crossed by pedestrians. Crossings such as those in or near Niagara Falls, Detroit, Tijuana, Nogales, and El Paso are popular for persons wishing to spend a day on the other side of the border. In some cases, this may be ideal for day-trippers, as crossing by car can be a much longer wait.

Get around

The size of the U.S. and the distance separating major cities make air the dominant mode of long-distance travel for short-term travellers. If you have time, or are travelling a short distance, travel by car, bus, or rail can be interesting.

Some states offer traffic and public transport information by dialing 511 on your phone.