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Hi!
I hold a Spanish passport and I have the following questions regarding travelling to North America.

I know my country is elegible for the visa waiver program for visitors to the USA what I wonder is if once you get there (Say JFK airport) and then you get out of the USA by another point (Say USA-Canada land border) then you can get back to the USA or you have to wait for some time or there's any sort of limitation.

Also, does having "funny" stamps of arabic countries in my passport may suppose a problem like when visiting Israel???

Also does anybody know if there are cheap no-frills airlines between the USA east coast and Mexico (DF or Cancun) like Easyjet or Ryanair in Europe?

Thanks a lot.

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1

You can get back into the USA but you must still leave North America (not just the USA) within 90 days of your original entry. That is the time spent in Canada or Mexico counts as being in the US.

'Funny stamps' are not a barrier to entry. You might get questioned about them, you might not.

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2

The criteria of the VWP states "The purpose of their stay in the United States is 90 days or less for tourism or business"+ and +"The traveller can demonstrate the intent to stay 90 days or less in the United States and demonstrate sufficient funds to support themselves while in the United States".

Because the word "intent" is part of the rule, even THINKING about trying to sneak across the border and re-enter is a violation of the program.

No, crossing into Canada will not let you re-enter and restart a 90 day period. You must leave North America under the terms of the program, not just the US.

No, attempting to enter at a different point will not allow you to sneak back in either. Everything is computerized, and every agent at every entry point will know of your previous entries, where and how they occurred.

Yes, there is a waiting period before you can re-enter on a new VWP 90-day period. The waiting period is an unspecified period of time. The border agent must be convinced your second entry is a new trip. A weekend trip to Buenos Aires is not going to convince them that you have satisfied the rules of the VWP. Remember that millions of people visit the country every year; border agents have seen every trick you could possibly think of.

And remember that being denied entry under VWP means you will never be eligible to use it again. You will always be required to apply for a visa (and may be denied that too). A denial of entry under VWP will have consequences in other countries too, as participating countries share information. If you want to stay in the US for more than 90 days, I strongly urge you to apply for a visa.

"Funny looking" stamps are not an issue for entry into the US, especially Israel. Thousands of Americans travel to Israel every year and the US government has extremely friendly relations with Israel.

For budget flights from the east coast to Cancun, look at Jetblue and USA 3000. The major carriers also serve this route, and may not be more expensive--American, United, Continental, USAirways. It is a competitive route.

DF handles all of the major carriers. Use a flight search website like kayak or expedia to compare costs.

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3

I'm not sure if you are planning to fly to the US and then go to Canada, but you should note that, if you fly into the US, in order to be admitted under the visa waiver, you must have an onward ticket. The ticket must take you to somewhere out of North America within 90 days. You can arrive in JFK and fly out of Toronto or Mexico City, but you must have proof of the onward ticket to be admitted under the waiver.


Nutrax
The plural of anecdote is not data.
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4

Are you asking whether you can arrive in the U.S., go to Canada and come back to the U.S. without a minimum stay in Canada (yes; you could spend a day or a week or more in Canada and come back to the U.S., even more than once), or, as I would assume, whether you can go to Canada for a certain amount of time and return to start a new 90-day period (no, as stated above). If your total visit to North America is to be over 90 days, get a regular tourist visa. Question has been asked repeatedly on this branch so a search will elicit lots of details (as would looking at the Department of State Web site--www.state.gov-- and looking under travel/visas at the bottom of the mai page). Question about "funny" visa stamps (are you speaking of any country in particular?) has also been asked ad infinitum and you could do a search, but the basic answer, given repeatedly, is you may undergo some additional questioning in some circumstances (e.g., you just spent 2 years in Iran), but overall not a problem and,no, you will not be barred from entry. The U.S. really needs your Euros now, so please visit and spend.

Edited by: BubbaK

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5

Sorry I was not quite clear, I do not pretend to stay for more than 90 years nor in the USA neither in North America.

What I'm planning to do is to get an air return ticket Europe-New York-Europe and once in the USA cross the border with Canada and back and then taking a flight to Mexico and back to the USA.

The USD is pretty cheap for Euro holders so now it's time to go there.

All this in less than 90 days.

The arabic countries stamped in my passport are Morocco, Tunisia and Algeria, being this last one the most worrying for me.

But all what you have said clearly answers my question so thanks to everybody.

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6

Check with the nearest U.S. Embassy for the correct information.

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7

Your trip as you described it in #5 is completely compliant with the VWP. Assuming that you can show the ticket for your flight out of North America, you should be fine.

Also, does having "funny" stamps of arabic countries in my passport may suppose a problem

C'mon. According to one source there were 100,000 immigrants from Arabic countries into the U.S. in 2005 alone.

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8

The US does not bar entry on the basis of foreign entry stamps alone.

You will be questioned more, but this can range anywhere from "how was your trip?" to detailed questions regarding where you went and with whom.

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