Visa-free countries with a US passport in 2026
180 destinations without a prior visa - Schengen, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea and almost all of Latin America. The UK and Australia require an electronic travel authorisation, China and Russia a visa.
In short
A US passport gives entry without a prior visa to 180 of 227 countries and territories: the whole Schengen area, Ireland, Canada, Mexico, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Turkey, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Morocco, South Africa and almost all of Latin America, with an electronic travel authorisation for the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Israel and Kenya. China, Russia and 15 other countries require a visa in advance, and Brazil, India, Vietnam and Azerbaijan an e-visa.
| Without a prior visa | 180 of 227: 134 visa-free, 35 on arrival, 11 with an electronic travel authorisation |
|---|---|
| Visa needed in advance | 46, of which 29 by e-visa |
| Schengen and the UK | Schengen area - visa-free, United Kingdom - electronic travel authorisation |
| Canada and Mexico | Canada - visa-free, Mexico - visa-free |
| How to get it | 5 years with a green card or 3 years married to a citizen |
| Checked | October 2026 |
The US passport opens 180 of 227 destinations without a prior visa: 134 fully visa-free, 35 with a visa on arrival and 11 with an electronic travel authorisation. It is one of the strongest passports in the world, although Singapore's and most EU passports reach more countries.
But the value of a US passport lies less in travel than in the right to live and work in the USA without visas or quotas, bring in family and rely on the consular protection of one of the largest diplomatic networks in the world. The flip side is that a US citizen reports income to the US tax service wherever they live.
We will work out online when you can apply and what fees and documents will cost for your family.
Where you can go visa-free with a US passport
Entry regimes differ in how much preparation the trip needs. Visa-free means the passport is enough and the permitted stay is set at the border. A visa on arrival means a fee and a stamp at the airport or checkpoint. An electronic travel authorisation is a short online form and fee before departure. An e-visa is also online but involves a check and a consular decision. A regular visa means a form, documents, often a personal visit to the consulate and waiting for a decision.
| Region | Visa-free or with an electronic authorisation | Visa on arrival or e-visa | Visa needed in advance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Europe | Schengen area, United Kingdom (online authorisation), Ireland, Cyprus, Moldova, Turkey, Serbia, Montenegro, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Albania, North Macedonia | Belarus | Russia |
| Caucasus and Central Asia | Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan | Azerbaijan | - |
| Asia | Hong Kong, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia, Philippines | Vietnam, Indonesia, India, Maldives | China |
| Middle East and Africa | Israel (online authorisation), Oman, Morocco, South Africa, Kenya (online authorisation) | UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Tanzania | - |
| Americas | Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Dominican Republic, Paraguay, Uruguay | Brazil | - |
| Oceania | Australia (online authorisation), New Zealand (online authorisation) | - | - |
The US passport is strongest in Europe, the Americas and Asia. The whole Schengen area, Ireland, Cyprus, Serbia, Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Turkey, Georgia, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan and Kyrgyzstan are visa-free, as are Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and the Philippines in Asia, Morocco and South Africa in Africa, and Canada, Mexico, Argentina, Chile, Colombia, Peru, Panama, Uruguay and Paraguay in the Americas.
The UK, Israel, Kenya, Australia and New Zealand require an electronic travel authorisation, and the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Egypt, Indonesia and the Maldives give a visa on arrival. The weak spots are China and Russia, which require a visa in advance, and Brazil, India, Vietnam, Azerbaijan and Belarus, which require an e-visa.
The table shows the main destinations for travel, living and business, not all 227 countries and territories. An electronic travel authorisation is issued online within minutes or days; an e-visa is also applied for online, but it is a separate consular decision. Entry rules change several times a year: check with an expert for your trip.
Schengen, the UK, Canada and Mexico
Schengen. US citizens enter the Schengen area without a visa for up to 90 days in any 180, without the right to work or live there. Since October 2025 fingerprints and a photo are taken at the border in the common entry and exit system.
United Kingdom. Since 8 January 2025 US citizens need an electronic travel authorisation. It is obtained online or in the official app before travel, the fee is about $25, and it is valid for two years or until the passport expires. No visa is needed for trips of up to 6 months.
Canada and Mexico. US citizens enter Canada with just a passport, without a visa or an electronic authorisation. Mexico is visa-free, with a stay of up to 180 days set by the border officer.
China and Russia. Both require a visa in advance. China can be visited without a visa only in transit: up to 240 hours when connecting to a third country through designated ports of entry.
Australia, New Zealand and Brazil. Australia and New Zealand require electronic authorisations, obtained in the official apps or online before travel. Since 10 April 2025 Brazil has again required an e-visa from US citizens.
What else a US passport gives
Living and working in the USA. A citizen lives and works in any of the 50 states without visas or permits, votes in federal elections, can hold public office and does not lose status by living abroad for a long time, unlike a green card holder.
Family. A US citizen can bring a spouse and children under 21 on a green card without annual quotas, and parents once the citizen is 21, and siblings and adult children through the queue. Children of a citizen born abroad acquire citizenship at birth if the conditions are met.
Taxes wherever you live. The USA taxes citizens, not just residents: a citizen files a return with the US tax service on worldwide income even when living in another country. Double taxation is relieved by a credit for tax paid abroad and an exclusion for part of foreign earnings, and foreign banks report accounts of US citizens. Rates are on the page taxes in the USA.
Dual citizenship. The USA does not require you to give up your previous citizenship on naturalisation, although the oath contains a renunciation formula: in practice the second passport is kept if the other country allows it. A citizen must enter and leave the USA on a US passport.
How to get a US passport
The US passport is not for sale. You first need a green card, meaning permanent residence: through family, work, the lottery, asylum or the investor programme with an investment from $800,000. After 5 years with a green card, or 3 years for spouses of US citizens, you apply for naturalisation. The conditions are physical presence in the USA for at least half of that period, 3 months of residence in the state of filing, an English and civics test and an interview.
The naturalisation application fee is $710 online and $760 on paper. Children under 18 with a green card become citizens automatically when the parent they live with is naturalised.
Requirements, timelines and documents are on the page US citizenship.
Five years with a green card count only if your residence was unbroken
The law does not stop you applying for US citizenship on your own. But mistakes cost more than the fee: trips of more than six months that call continuous residence into question, unfiled tax returns, form answers that contradict earlier applications and an exam you did not prepare for. We count your residence and physical presence by days, check your tax history and earlier applications, prepare you for the interview and, together with partners in the USA, handle the case up to the oath.
The cost of support depends on your path to a green card and the family; a manager will calculate it in the chat.
This topic in other countries
Visa-free travel with other passports:
- Visa-free countries with a Turkish passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Serbian passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Romanian passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Bulgarian passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a Moldovan passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with an Armenian passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with an Israeli passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with an Italian passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a Greek passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a Latvian passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a Lithuanian passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Sao Tome and Principe passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Nauru passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with an Egyptian passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Jordanian passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a German passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Mexican passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Uruguayan passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Paraguayan passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Brazilian passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a Kazakh passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a St Kitts and Nevis passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with a Dominica passport in 2026
- Where you can travel visa-free with an Antigua and Barbuda passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Grenadian passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Saint Lucian passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Kyrgyz passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a Sierra Leonean passport in 2026
- Visa-free countries with a North Macedonian passport in 2026
- What an Argentine passport gives
- What a Vanuatu passport gives
More on this country:
- How much US citizenship costs
- US investor green card
- Taxes in the USA
- Moving to the USA
- New York city guide
Compare passports of different countries in our 2026 passport overview.
FAQ
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