Visa & More: Frequently Asked Questions

As always, we will use this chapter to answer some exemplary questions we have been asked via the internet over the past days and weeks. In general, answering questions via the internet (free of charge) may take a while, since we get dozens of questions from all over the world every day. For individual cases - especially for the more complex problems - we reserve the right to refer you to our telephone consulting service in order to guarantee you the best possible assistance.

If you need fast and individual information, our service team is there for you on the phones from Tuesday to Friday between 11am and 7pm. Find the phone number on our homepage and get our experts' advice on everything visa as quickly and as conveniently as possible.

And as usual, for all questions concerning the green card lottery just call our service team.

QUESTION: One customer of our travel agency is going to fly from Frankfurt to Managua via Miami. As a tourist, do you need a transit visa for the stopover in Miami?

ANSWER: That depends. If your customer is a German citizen, a visa will not be required, since the Visa Waiver Program is also valid for transit. If he or she cannot use this program because he or she is not a national of a Visa Waiver country, a visa is required, in this case the B-2 Visa. By the way, the same applies if your customer is married to a German citizen and has been in Germany for a while already, even if the stop in Miami only takes a few hours.

QUESTION: Up to now, German citizens did not need a visa if they wanted to stay in the US for less than 90 days as a tourist. Are those regulations still in effect or are they going to be changed this year? I'm asking because of a holiday trip to the US in the fall of this year.

ANSWER: You still do not have to apply for a visa. At present a lot of false information is being spread sue to the issue of passport regulations. The important thing is that you have a machine-readable passport (in Germany: the common win-red one). If you don't have that, you need the tourist visa (B-2). The same applies to child IDs that are, just like preliminary passports, not machine-readable.

QUESTION: I am 20 and will make my Abitur (German university entrance qualification) this month. Before I enroll at university for the next winter semester, I would like to go to the US for half a year to get to know the country and the people and travel. I am interested in the B-2 Visa.

ANSWER: You should carefully think about applying for a B-visa. It might be denied, because it could be suspected that you don't have sufficient ties to your home country due to your age and educational level. In any case you should demonstrate your intention to return, i.e. enrolment at the university, and sufficient financial means to pay for your stay in the US.

QUESTION: A friend of mine, she's a Peruvian, has a B-1/B-2 Visa valid until February 10, 2013. However, she has to have her passport renewed. What is she supposed to do with the visa afterwards? Will it be automatically transferred? Where does she have to go and what documentation is necessary?

ANSWER: The visa will not be transferred to the new passport. Instead, your friend will be admitted with the new, valid, and the old, invalid passport together. The important thing is that the visa in the old passport is not damaged by invalidation through the registry office/Peruvian embassy.

QUESTION: I am engaged to a US citizen and currently in the US as a tourist. Can I stay in the US if I participate in the green card lottery 2004? Will my participation in the lottery in any way affect the fiancée visa application that has been initiated in the US?

ANSWER: Yes, you may stay in the US even if you participate in the lottery, but in case you win you cannot change your status from tourist to green card holder, you will have to leave the country for that. You may also apply for the K (fiancé(e)) visa, since mere participation in the lottery does not yet constitute an intent to immigrate. In this case, an adjustment of status is possible under certain conditions.