Transit Visa USA: C-1, C-2 and C-3 Visas

 

C Visas Allow You to Enter the U.S and Stay for a Period of Rest

 

Some people need to stay in the U.S. for a period of rest before they move on to their next destination. In other words, they have to transit through the U.S. If you have to wait in the U.S. before moving to your destination, you need to get a U.S transit visa.

 

U.S. transit visas are denominated with the letter C. It allows you to enter the U.S. and stay for your layover. Afterward, when your planned flight or ship leaves for your next destination, you will have to leave the U.S.

 

The U.S. government defines the C visa for immediate and continuous transit through the U.S. which means your itinerary to your final destination includes a layover in the U.S. and you will have to stop there but have no other privileges.

 

With a C visa, you can’t stay more than your approved time, and this is not a visa to perform tourism or business-related activities. If you want to engage in tourism or business activities in the U.S., you will have to get a B-1 or B-2 visa.

 

However, if you already have a B-1 or B-2 visa for the U.S, and you have to transit through the country, you do not need a C visa. You will be allowed transit with a B visa. In addition, if you qualify as part of the Visa Waiver Program, you do not need a U.S transit visa.

 

Types of USA Transit Visa

 

The C visa is a transit-only visa, but it has three categories. These are the types of the U.S. transit visas:

 

C-1 – General Transit Visa

C-1 is the transit visa for non-U.S. citizens passing through the U.S. on a layover on their way to their final destination.

 

C-2 – U.N Headquarters Transit Visa

C-2 is the transit visa for non-U.S. citizens traveling to the United Nations (U.N) Headquarters in New York City or United Nations officials transiting through the U.S to go to a final destination. Those who have this visa are only allowed to be in the vicinity of the U.N. headquarters. They are entitled to exit the U.N headquarters or a location in its vicinity only when they leave the U.S.

 

C-3 – Foreign Government Transit Visa

C-3 is the transit visa for foreign government officials traveling through the U.S. on a layover on their way to their final destination. The purpose of the travel must be for the government or work-related activities.

 

Requirements for USA Transit Visa

 

To be eligible for a transit or C visa to the U.S, the person must fulfill one of the criteria:

 

• Be a non-U.S citizen on their way to a final destination and only passing through the U.S
• Be a non-U.S citizen or U.N official going to the U.N headquarters in New York City
• Be a foreign government official transiting through the U.S. to their final destination on a work-related trip.

 

If you do not belong to one of these categories, you are not allowed to get a C transit visa. In addition, the C visa doesn’t come with dependent visas. This means that all those transiting to the U.S, including spouses and children must have a transit visa.

 

For example, if a foreign government official is transiting through the U.S. with family, the family members must have individual C visas too.

 

Application for Transit Visa

 

The application procedure for the transit C visa is similar to other visas. You need to follow these steps to submit a full application for your C visa.

 

Identify Which Type of C Visa You Need

 

If you are not traveling to the U.N. headquarters and are not a foreign government official, you will need to apply for a C-1 visa. Know which type of visa you need so that you can attach all the documents and file the right forms.

 

Apply Online by Filing Form DS-160

 

Filing the Form DS-160 is the first step to start the application process. Complete the necessary fields and then submit the form online. After submitting the form, you will get a barcode number and confirmation page which you should save for future references.

 

Pay the Application Fee

 

The application fee for the C type visas is $185. You have to pay this amount and keep the receipt because it will be needed later in the process. There might be other fees depending on your location and the Embassy you are applying from. However, there are no visa issuance fees for the C-2 visa. This is because reciprocity measures have not been put in place for this type of transit visa.

 

Schedule Your Interview

 

The next step is to schedule your interview. Try to schedule your visa interview as soon as possible. U.S Embassies sometimes deal with a high workload so it might take them more time to schedule your interview. When the interview is scheduled, you will get an interview confirmation letter which you will show at the time of the interview.

 

Submit the Required Documents

 

You need to prepare a file of documents to have with you when you go for the visa interview. It is advisable to prepare all the documents. If your file is missing any documents, there will be reason enough for the Embassy to delay or even deny your visa.

 

Below is a table with the required documents for your file based on the type of visa:

 

Attend Your Visa Interview

 

With your document file, you should attend the visa interview at the scheduled time. If your interview is successful, you will have a higher chance of getting a transit visa.

If you have been granted the visa, you will be able to transit through the U.S. successfully to your next or final destination.

 

U.S Transit Visa Processing Time

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Processing times for any U.S visa depend on the workload that the U.S Embassy from which you are applying has. If there are more applications, it will take longer. However, since the transit visa is for such a short duration of time, its processing time is generally faster than for other visas.

 

From the time you submit your application, expect to wait for a minimum of 5 working days to receive a response on your visa status. The Embassy will let you know whether you have been granted or denied the transit visa. This is only an average time estimate, though, so if it takes longer, do not assume that your visa has been denied.

 

Since you only need the transit visa at the U.S. airport, you can give the information of what airport you will be in and on what date. If you submit a request and it is granted, the U.S Embassy could send the documents to that airport with the visa, and it will be waiting for you when you transit through the U.S.

 

Validity of Transit Visas

 

Transit visas mean that the person holding it does not intend to stay in the U.S. and has another final destination. That is why is it necessary to prove you have a final destination by submitting tickets or visas for another country.

 

Because it is assumed that transit does not take too much time, the validity of the C visa is short too. All types of C transit visas (C-1, C-2, and C-3 visa) are valid for a period of a maximum of 29 days or until the date to depart the U.S is on your ticket, whichever one is sooner.

 

This means that if you enter the U.S on September 1^st, you must leave on or before September 29^th. However, if you have a ticket to your final destination on September 20^th, you must leave the U.S on September 20^th.

 

Restrictions of Transit Visas

 

Since the transit visa is different from other non-immigrant visas in the sense that you are not allowed to stay in the U.S, there are several restrictions to what you can do while in the U.S. With a transit visa (C-1, C-2, or C-3), you are not allowed to do the following:

 

• Cannot stay in the U.S more than the designated time
• Cannot travel or study in the U.S
• Cannot become employed in the U.S
• Cannot extend the transit visa
• Cannot adjust or change the status of the transit visa
• Cannot apply for a Green Card with a transit visa
• Cannot have dependents with only one transit visa
• Dependents cannot travel, work, or study in the U.S