ESTA Countries List 2026: Who Can Use It

Citizens of 42 countries can use ESTA: the countries in the Visa Waiver Program. DHS lists them on its Visa Waiver Program page, which we checked on 4 November 2026. The page says it was last updated on 10/28/2026, and its list still has the same 42 countries. The list is below, with who is barred even with one of these passports.

The 3 checks before you apply on the official ESTA site:

1. Your passport country is in the table below.

2. Your passport is an e-passport with a chip.

3. None of the travel or dual-nationality bars in the section below applies to you.

Note: DHS lists 42 current Visa Waiver Program countries and says designated countries are reviewed at least every two years. DHS can suspend or end a country's designation without notice for an imminent threat (DHS, Visa Waiver Program page, read 15 Oct 2026; the count of 42 re-checked 4 Nov 2026)

Note: CBP's page says the program "permits citizens of 42 countries to travel to the United States" for business or tourism, for stays of up to 90 days without a visa (CBP, Visa Waiver Program page, last modified 12 Nov 2024, read 15 Oct 2026)

Which countries are on the ESTA list in 2026?

That is 32 in Europe, 7 in Asia and the Middle East, 2 in Oceania and 1 in the Americas. The region groups are our own sorting. DHS lists the countries in one alphabetical list.

DHS adds three footnotes. For the Netherlands, citizens of Curaçao, Bonaire, St. Eustatius, Saba and St. Maarten are not eligible with passports from those territories. For Taiwan, the list applies only to people with an unrestricted right of permanent abode and an e-passport with a household registration number. For the United Kingdom, it applies only to British citizens with an unrestricted right of permanent abode, and it leaves out British overseas citizens and dependent territory citizens.

The newest additions

Note: DHS lists the newest additions by the date VWP travel began: Qatar on 21 Nov 2024, Israel on 29 Sep 2023, Croatia on 1 Dec 2021 and Poland on 11 Nov 2019. These four dates were unchanged on 4 Nov 2026. On 15 Oct 2026 the page also said Romania was designated on 9 Jan 2025, but that designation was rescinded on 2 May 2025, before it took effect. That note was no longer on the page on 4 Nov 2026 (DHS, Visa Waiver Program page, last updated 28 Oct 2026, read 4 Nov 2026)

We re-read the DHS page in a browser on 4 November 2026. It now says "Last Updated: 10/28/2026", but it still lists the same 42 countries. The only former members it lists are Argentina (ended 21 Feb 2002) and Uruguay (ended 15 Apr 2003). We found no official notice of a newer addition, suspension or removal. DHS can suspend a country without notice, so check the page again before you apply.

What your passport must be

Note: The official ESTA site says the passport must have a machine-readable zone and must be an electronic passport with a digital chip holding biometric information. For the United Kingdom, only passports showing British citizenship qualify. Passports marked British Subject, British Overseas Citizen, British National (overseas) or similar do not (official ESTA site, help text, read 15 Oct 2026)

Price: The ESTA fee is $40.62. The official site's FAQ says it rose from $40.27 to $40.62, with the new amount scheduled to take effect on 16 October 2026. It is a $10.62 operational fee, a $17 travel promotion fee and a $13 Treasury General Fund fee (official ESTA FAQ, read in a browser 5 Nov 2026). Our ESTA application guide has the full fee breakdown

So, a listed passport also has to be an e-passport with a chip.

Who cannot use ESTA even with a listed passport?

A listed passport is not enough on its own. CBP and the ESTA site name several groups who do not qualify.

Note: CBP's page on the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act lists travel to "Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, or Yemen at any time on or after March 1, 2011." It says Cuba was designated a State Sponsor of Terrorism on 12 Jan 2021 and that a traveler found to have visited Cuba on or after that date is not eligible (CBP, last modified 30 Dec 2024, read 15 Oct 2026)

Note: The same page bars VWP-country nationals who are also nationals of Iraq, Syria, Iran, North Korea or Sudan. For Cuba, it bars a traveler who holds dual nationality with both a VWP country and Cuba (CBP, last modified 30 Dec 2024, read 15 Oct 2026)

Note: The official ESTA site adds that if an ESTA is already approved and CBP later finds Cuba travel or Cuban dual nationality, "the ESTA will be revoked." It also says "Ineligibility for an ESTA is not a bar to travel to the United States," and that such travelers may apply for a visa (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)

The CBP page lists two exceptions to the travel restrictions: travel to perform military service in the armed forces of a program country, and travel to carry out official duties as a full-time employee of a program country's government. CBP says these exceptions do not apply to the dual national rule. It also says DHS may waive the restrictions case by case if it finds a waiver is in the law enforcement or national security interests of the US. The Cuba restriction has "limited exceptions" that the page does not describe.

Other reasons ESTA can fail

The official ESTA site lists who should not rely on the Visa Waiver Program. Those are travelers who plan to stay more than 90 days, who arrive on a carrier that is not a signatory carrier, who travel for a purpose other than short-term tourism or business, or who think a ground of inadmissibility under section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act applies to them. The site says those people should apply for a nonimmigrant visa instead.

Note: The eligibility questions on the official ESTA application ask, among others, whether you have ever been arrested or convicted of a crime involving moral turpitude or a controlled substance offense, whether you have ever been denied a US visa or entry or had a visa canceled, and whether you have a communicable disease, a physical or mental disorder, or are a drug abuser or addict (CBP, official ESTA site application text, read 15 Oct 2026)

A yes answer does not always mean denial. The site says erroneous or incomplete information does not cause a mandatory denial but may need manual review. We did not find a list on the site of which yes answers lead to a denial, so we do not state one. Prior overstays: not confirmed as a separate rule on the pages we read. The site lists "complied with all conditions of any previous admission under the Visa Waiver Program" as a condition.

CBP also reminds people that an approved ESTA is not a promise of entry. A CBP officer at the port of entry makes the final decision.

So, travel to the 9 listed countries, some dual nationalities or a yes answer can block ESTA even with a listed passport.

Do you need an ESTA for the USA?

Note: The official ESTA site says: "I am a citizen of Canada? No, citizens of Canada who are traveling with a Canadian passport do not need an ESTA." A US lawful permanent resident who is also a citizen of a VWP country does not need one. Citizens of VWP countries need one for a visit, and also to transit the US by air. If you enter by land from Mexico or Canada, "an ESTA is not required" (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)

Note: The site says a traveler with a valid B-1/B-2 visitor visa travels on that visa and does not need an ESTA. A traveler with another visa type, such as an F-1 student visa, who is traveling for short tourism or business under the VWP does need one (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)

A traveler with two passports needs care. The site says: if you fly under the VWP with your VWP passport, you must apply for ESTA. If you use a passport from a country that is not on the list, you need a visa and ESTA does not apply.

Our other page covers how to apply, the fee and what to do if you are denied.

So, most VWP citizens who fly to the US need an ESTA, but Canadians and green card holders do not.

What if my country is not on the ESTA list?

Then you cannot use ESTA. The official ESTA site says a traveler who is not eligible for ESTA is not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program and "should apply for a nonimmigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate."

Note: The official ESTA site says B-1/B-2 visitor visa rules differ from ESTA's. Applicants "must in most cases undergo an interview with a United States Department of State consular officer, submit their biometric information in advance of travel, and provide additional biographic information not required under ESTA" (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)

The State Department runs the visa process. Its visitor visa page is on travel.state.gov. Its site blocked our tools on 15 October 2026, so we could not read the visa fee, the wait times or the steps, and we state none of them here. Not confirmed. Start at the State Department's visa pages and book your interview early. The ESTA site notes that the department cannot guarantee next-day appointments.

So, without a listed passport you apply for a visa, not an ESTA.

What we checked and what can change

Read on 4 November 2026:

• DHS's Visa Waiver Program page (last updated 28 October 2026): the 42 current countries, the newest four travel start dates and the two former members. We did not see what the 28 October update changed; the country list is the same.

Read on 15 October 2026:

• DHS's Visa Waiver Program page (then last updated 2 May 2025): the footnotes for the Netherlands, Taiwan and the UK, the two-year review, and the Romania note.

• CBP's Visa Waiver Program page (last modified 12 Nov 2024): 42 countries, stays of up to 90 days.

• CBP's page on the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act (last modified 30 Dec 2024): the travel and dual-nationality bars, the Cuba date, the exceptions.

• The help text and application questions on the official ESTA site: passport rules, who needs an ESTA, the eligibility questions (read 15 October 2026). The home page and FAQ were read again in a browser on 5 November 2026: the fee is now $40.62, effective 16 October 2026.

On 5 November 2026 the DHS, CBP, ESTA and State Department sites all blocked our reader, so we did not re-read them that day.

Not confirmed: any change too new to appear on the DHS page (we found none, and a 5 November 2026 news search showed no new designation or suspension), whether prior overstays alone bar ESTA, and the B-1/B-2 fee and steps (the State Department visitor visa page blocked us). We did not apply for an ESTA for this page. A country list can change with little notice, so read the DHS page the month you book.