CITY
Washington DC
DISTRICT
District of Columbia
COUNTRY
United States of America
CONTINENT
North Americs
LANGUAGE
English
CURRENCY
US Dollars
BEST TIME TO VISIT
March & June to August
NEAREST RAILWAY STATION
Washington Union Station
NEAREST AIRPORT
Washington National Airport (DCA)
Dulles International Airport (IAD)
Baltimore-Washington International Airport (BWI)
EMERGENCY HELPLINE NUMBER
911
INTERNET ACCESS
Wi-fi is common in lodgings across the price spectrum. Lower-speed internet typically is free, but you sometimes have to pay for premium-speed service. Many properties also have an internet-connected computer for public use. Many bars, cafes and museums – including most of the Smithsonian buildings – offer free wi-fi. Outlets of the DC Public Library (www.dclibrary.org) offer free terminals for 15 minutes; to surf longer, you need to sign up for a free user’s card. For a list of wi-fi hot spots, visit Wi-Fi Free Spot (www.wififreespot.com).
VISA
Visitors from Canada, the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and many EU countries don’t need visas for stays of less than 90 days. Citizens of other nations should check http://travel.state.gov.
Entering the USA
Everyone arriving in the US needs to fill out the US customs declaration. US and Canadian citizens, along with eligible foreign nationals participating in the Visa Waiver Program, can complete this procedure electronically at an APC (Automated Passport Control) kiosk upon disembarking. All others must fill out a paper customs declaration, which is usually handed out on the plane. Have it completed before you approach the immigration desk. For the question, ‘US Street Address,’ give the address where you will spend the first night (a hotel address is fine).
No matter what your visa says, US immigration officers have an absolute authority to refuse admission to the country, or to impose conditions on admission. They may ask about your plans and whether you have sufficient funds; it’s a good idea to list an itinerary, produce an onward or round-trip ticket and have at least one major credit card.
The Department of Homeland Security’s registration program, called Office of Biometric Identity Management, includes every port of entry and nearly every foreign visitor to the USA. For most visitors (excluding, for now, most Canadian and some Mexican citizens), registration consists of having a digital photo and electronic (inkless) fingerprints taken; the process takes less than a minute.
Grounds for Exclusion & Deportation
If on your visa application form you admit to being a subversive, smuggler, prostitute, drug addict, terrorist or an ex-Nazi, you may be excluded. You can also be refused a visa or entry to the USA if you have a ‘communicable disease of public health significance’ or a criminal record, or if you’ve ever made a false statement in connection with a US visa application. However, if any of these last three apply, you’re still able to request an exemption; many people are granted them and then given visas.
Communicable diseases include tuberculosis, the Ebola virus, gonorrhea, syphilis, infectious leprosy and any disease deemed subject to quarantine by Presidential Executive Order. US immigration doesn’t test people for disease, but officials at the point of entry may question anyone about his or her health. They can exclude anyone whom they believe has a communicable disease, perhaps because they are carrying medical documents, prescriptions or medicine. Being an IV drug user is also grounds for exclusion. Visitors may be deported if US immigration finds out they have HIV but did not declare it. Being HIV-positive is no longer grounds for deportation, but failing to provide accurate information on the visa application is.
The US immigration department has a very broad definition of a criminal record. If you’ve ever been arrested or charged with an offense, that’s a criminal record, even if you were acquitted or discharged without conviction. Don’t attempt to enter through the VWP if you have a criminal record of any kind; assume US authorities will find out about it.
Often United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will grant an exemption (a ‘waiver of ineligibility’) to a person who would normally be subject to exclusion, but this requires referral to a regional immigration office and can take some time (allow at least two months). If you’re tempted to conceal something, remember that US immigration is strictest of all about false statements. It will often view favorably an applicant who admits to an old criminal charge or a communicable disease, but it is extremely harsh on anyone who has ever attempted to mislead it, even on minor points. After you’re admitted to the USA, any evidence of a false statement to US immigration is grounds for deportation.
Prospective visitors to whom grounds of exclusion may apply should consider their options before applying for a visa.
More Information
Be warned that all visa information is highly subject to change. US entry requirements keep evolving as national security regulations change. All travelers should double-check current visa and passport regulations before coming to the USA.
The US State Department (www.travel.state.gov) maintains the most comprehensive visa information, providing downloadable forms, lists of US consulates abroad and even visa wait times calculated by country.
Short-term Departures & Re-entry
It’s temptingly easy to make trips across the border to Canada or Mexico, but on return to the USA, non-Americans will be subject to the full immigration procedure.
Always take your passport when you cross the border.
If your immigration card still has plenty of time on it, you will probably be able to re-enter using the same one, but if it has nearly expired, you will have to apply for a new card, and border control may want to see your onward air ticket, sufficient funds and so on.
Traditionally, a quick trip across the border has been a way to extend your stay in the USA without applying for an extension at a USCIS office. Don’t assume this still works. First, make sure you hand in your old immigration card to the immigration authorities when you leave the USA, and when you return make sure you have all the necessary application documentation from when you first entered the country. US immigration will be very suspicious of anyone who leaves for a few days and returns immediately hoping for a new six-month stay; expect to be questioned closely.
Citizens of most Western countries will not need a visa to visit Canada, so it’s really not a problem at all to cross to the Canadian side of Niagara Falls, detour up to Québec, or pass through on the way to Alaska.
Travelers entering the USA by bus from Canada may be closely scrutinized. A round-trip ticket that takes you back to Canada will most likely make US immigration feel less suspicious.
Mexico has a visa-free zone along most of its border with the USA, including the Baja Peninsula and border towns such as Tijuana and Ciudad Juárez. As of 2017, residents of the US, Canada, the UK, Japan, and Schengen countries (Europe) no longer need a tourist visa anywhere in Mexico. Others may need a Mexican visa or tourist card to travel beyond the border zone.
Visa Applications
Apart from most Canadian citizens and those entering under the Visa Waiver Program, all foreign visitors will need to obtain a visa from a US consulate or embassy abroad. Most applicants must schedule a personal interview, to which you must bring all your documentation and proof of fee payment. Wait times for interviews vary, but afterward, barring problems, visa issuance takes from a few days to a few weeks.
Your passport must be valid for the entirety of your intended stay in the USA, and sometimes six months longer, depending on your country of citizenship. You’ll need a recent photo (2in by 2in) and you must pay a non-refundable $160 processing fee, plus in a few cases an additional visa-issuance reciprocity fee. You’ll also need to fill out the online DS-160 non-immigrant visa electronic application.
Visa applicants are required to show documents of financial stability (or evidence that a US resident will provide financial support), a round-trip or onward ticket and ‘binding obligations’ that will ensure their return home, such as family ties, a home or a job. Because of these requirements, those planning to travel through other countries before arriving in the USA are generally better off applying for a US visa while they’re still in their home country, rather than while on the road.
The most common visa is a non-immigrant visitor’s visa: type B-1 for business purposes, B-2 for tourism or visiting friends and relatives. A visitor’s visa is good for multiple entries over one or five years, and specifically prohibits the visitor from taking paid employment in the USA. The validity period depends on what country you are from. The actual length of time you’ll be allowed to stay in the USA is determined by US immigration at the port of entry.
If you’re coming to the USA to work or study, you will need a different type of visa, and the company or institution to which you are going should make the arrangements.
Other categories of nonimmigrant visas include an F-1 visa for students attending a course at a recognized institution; an H-1, H-2 or H-3 visa for temporary employment; and a J-1 visa for exchange visitors in approved programs.
Visa Waiver Program
Currently under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), citizens of the following countries may enter the USA without a visa for stays of 90 days or less: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the UK.
If you are a citizen of a VWP country, you do not need a visa only if you have a passport that meets current US standards and you have received approval from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in advance. Register online with the Department of Homeland Security at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta at least 72 hours before arrival; once travel authorization is approved, your registration is valid for two years. The fee, payable online, is $14.
Visitors from VWP countries must still produce at the port of entry all the same evidence as for a non-immigrant visa application. They must demonstrate that their trip is for 90 days or less, and that they have a round-trip or onward ticket, adequate funds to cover the trip and binding obligations abroad.
In addition, the same ‘grounds for exclusion and deportation’ apply, except that you will have no opportunity to appeal or apply for an exemption. If you are denied under the VWP at a US point of entry, you will have to use your onward or return ticket on the next available flight.
HOTEL
Finding a hotel in Washington D.C. that is well-placed for sightseeing is relatively easy, with many choices close to the main attractions. Getting oriented in the city is also easy, due to its broad avenues and neat grid of streets that are handily numbered. Many of the top attractions are concentrated along the National Mall, which stretches from the Capitol Building to the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial. Along it are most of the Smithsonian museums; beside it, Pennsylvania Avenue connects the Capitol Building to the White House.
The best places to stay for sightseeing lie north of the mall, between Capitol Hill and Georgetown, in the downtown, Dupont Circle, and Foggy Bottom neighborhoods. Farther west, but very well connected to the central sights is Georgetown, a beautiful area of historic residential streets and plenty of dining, small shops, and cafés.
LUXURY
The Jefferson at Dupont Circle, an easy stroll from the White House and National Mall, is a D.C. landmark, which lost none of its historic elegance in the recent renovations. Another gracious Washington institution, The Hay-Adams overlooks Lafayette Park and the White House and welcomes children with special activities. Within walking distance of Georgetown’s historic streets of restaurants and shops, Fairmont Washington is near Ford’s Theatre and an easy walk to the Mall.
MID-RANGE
Near the White House, Metro, and trolley stops and an easy walk to the Smithsonian museums, Hampton Inn Washington, D.C./White House has complimentary breakfast and an indoor pool. In a quiet neighborhood, a block from the metro line and close to the Capitol, Library of Congress, and Union Station, Capitol Hill Hotel offers complimentary breakfasts and a fitness center. Opposite the International Spy Museum and the American Art Museum, Courtyard Washington Convention Center is an easy walk to the White House, Archives, and Mall museums.
BUDGET
Close to M Street shopping and restaurants, as well as transport to the city center, Georgetown Suites are apartments with kitchens, overlooking the C&O Canal and its towpath for walking and cycling. Near M Street and five minutes from the Foggy Bottom Metro, West End part of the Georgetown Collection has kitchenettes and free breakfast, within walking distance of the White House. With a neighborhood feel but only a 20-minute walk from the Mall, Windsor Inn is 10 minutes from P Street shops and restaurants.
COST OF LIVING
Washington DC is a must-see for any serious traveler, with North America’s largest collection of huge monuments and free museums, plus great nightlife and interesting neighborhoods.
This can be a tricky city for visitors since the downtown area is fairly small and hotels in the center can get away with charging a fortune. There are some cheap hotels in non-touristy parts of town, but honestly you are much better off in Virginia in the suburbs a bit, and public transportation does a great job of quickly getting you into the center during the day. On the other hand, cheap flights to Washington DC are usually easy to find due to 3 major airports in the region.
Hotels in Washington DC tend to be busy all year long, with prices that match New York City most of the time. This is a big tourist town and also huge for business travelers, and the cheapest time of year for hotels is January through March. High season is spring and autumn, and summer usually brings prices down a bit. Good deals can be had on weekends, but usually only at the business-oriented places.
Almost every museum and interesting building is free to enter and tour, courtesy of the American taxpayer. This helps keeps costs reasonable, though food and drinks do also tend to be pricey in the main tourist centers. But the city also has many other non-free attractions like a hop-on, hop-off bus tour and the International Spy Museum.
