Non-Immigrant Frequently Asked Questions

Passport Requirements

1. My child's information has been added to my machine readable Dutch passport.  Can my child travel as such to the U.S. without a visa?
2. Does my Dutch passport have to be valid for six months beyond my date of departure from the United States?
3. I understand the Dutch Government is going to start issuing a new kind of e-passport this summer.  Does that mean I need to get such a new passport to visit the U.S. without a visa?
4. I lost my passport and the Dutch Passport Police issued me a one-year passport; is it valid for travel to the United States?
5. My passport has expired or been damaged. However, I still have a valid U.S. visa in the passport. What should I do?

1. My child's information has been added to my machine readable Dutch passport.  Can my child travel as such to the U.S. without a visa?
   No.  Regardless of age all travelers using the Visa Waiver Program to travel without a visa, must have their own machine readable passport or apply for a visa.  While the passport holder's information is machine readable, information about children, added to a parent's Dutch passport is not.
   
   
2. Does my Dutch passport have to be valid for six months beyond my date of departure from the United States?
   No. The United States has an agreement with The Netherlands automatically extending the validity of a passport for six months past the passport's expiration date. Therefore, your passport need remain valid only for the duration of your stay in the United States.
   
   
3. I understand the Dutch Government is going to start issuing a new kind of e-passport this summer.  Does that mean I need to get such a new passport to visit the U.S. without a visa?
   No.  Dutch passports meet all the requirements for visa-free travel.  Dutch passports issued AFTER OCTOBER 26, 2006 have to be e-passports.  Dutch passports which were issued before October 26, 2006 will continue to be acceptable for visa-free travel to the U.S. until they expire.  See the State Departments information on biometric passport requirements.
   
   
4. I lost my passport and the Dutch Passport Police issued me a one-year passport; is it valid for travel to the United States?
   Yes, the passport is valid for travel to the United States. The fact that it may not be valid for at least six months beyond your date of departure from the United States will not affect your eligibility to travel. The United States has an agreement with The Netherlands automatically extending the validity of a passport for six months past the passport's expiration date. Therefore, your passport need remain valid only for the duration of your stay in the United States. If you are traveling visa free, and your passport is valid for less than 90 days, you will be admitted only until the date the passport expires.
   
   
5. My passport has expired or been damaged. However, I still have a valid U.S. visa in the passport. What should I do?
   f the photo page on your passport has been damaged (e.g. has become detached, or looks like it may become detached, from the rest of the passport), please apply for a new visa in a new passport, submitting both the damaged and new passport in support of your application.

   Please note that we cannot place a visa in a passport with a photo page that is even partially detached. If your passport has this problem, please apply for a new passport before submitting your visa application.
   
   

   If the passport has expired, and you still have a valid visa, you may travel with two passports, i.e. your old passport with the visa, and your new passport, or apply for a new visa in your new passport. Please note that you cannot transfer a visa to another passport.