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Non-Immigrant Visas

Transit Aliens and Crewmembers Visas (C and D)

C Visas: Transit aliens

C-1 visa classification applies to aliens proceeding in immediate and aliens proceeding in immediate and continuous transit through the U.S. en route to some foreign destination.

This classification is appropriate for all aliens, official or not, whether from governments recognized or not, whose purpose for entry is to proceed directly through the U.S. to another country.

C-2 visa classification applies to aliens proceeding in immediate and continuous transit through the United States to or from the United Nations Headquarters District.

C-2 visa holders are restricted to the “United Nations Headquarters District and its immediate vicinity,” defined as the “area lying within a twenty-five mile radius of Columbus Circle, New York, N.Y.”

C-3 visa is a classification established to provide for foreign government officials and members of their families and his or her attendants, servants or personal employees seeking merely to cross in transit through the United States.

Additional Information

  • If the traveler wants to do anything other than transit the U.S., such as visit friends or for sightseeing, they cannot do so on a transit visa. The applicant will have to qualify for the type of visa required for that purpose, such as a B-2 visa.
  • A traveler embarking at a foreign port on a vessel which is proceeding to a foreign destination other than the United States and who has no intention of landing in the United States is nevertheless required to be in possession of a transit or other nonimmigrant visa if, during the course of the journey, the vessel makes port in the United States.
  • If you are not a resident of Mexico, refer to Third Country Nationals to determine if you can apply for this visa class in Mexico.

 

D Visas: Crewmember

Alien crewmen serving aboard a vessel or airplane which will land in the United States must obtain this visa.

Crewmen apply using a passport or a seaman's book along with a letter from the shipping company or airline confirming your employment and when you plan to arrive or dock in the United States. We normally issue crewmembers joining a ship or airplane in the United States both a transit visa and a crew visa.

If you are a crewmember traveling to the U.S. to meet your aircraft or ship you need a combined visa: a C-1/D Transit and Crew visa. Only one application fee will be charged.

Spouses and children accompanying a crewmember entering the U.S. as a non-immigrant, and not performing services required for normal operation of the ship or plane, must obtain a Visitor Visa (tourist), unless the family member is entering the U.S. for another purpose (e.g., as a student) and needs a different visa.


Additional Information

  • Refer to Cost of an NIV  to determine if additional costs may apply.
  • If you are not a resident of Mexico, refer to Third Country Nationals to determine if you can apply for this visa class in Mexico.