Visa question: Trip to L.A.

[iam_toby]

Hey guys, got a quick question that I bet someone can answer.
I'm in BC at the moment, planning a trip to L.A. over christmas / new years. I'm from Germany,
and therefore traveling with a German passport. Germany is on the list of visa exempt countries
for the US. So I don't need a visa.
Here's my plan.
We drive from Vancouver to Bellingham, on the way we cross the border and I get my 90 day
visa waiver visa.
Can I use that together with my passport to get on the plane in Bellingham to L.A.? Or do I need to apply for
anything else?
I know that I don't need to apply for a visa and don't ESTA approval since I don't enter the US via air/boat, right?
How long does my passport have to be valid for that trip? Some site says, a minimum of 6 month and others say
that for countries participating in the visa waiver program my passport has to be valid for the length of my stay.

Any help appreciated!!
Thanks.

 

[Dubrider]

Hi,

You are from a visa exempt country. But you will need an ESTA. At the border you will sign a visa waiver form, they will staple part of this document in your passport which you MUST surrender when you leave the States. I made this mistake, and 'overstayed' my visa by 30 days. Stoopid.

You will not need any type of visa to board a plane in the states. You can fly in the states with just you passport. They determination of your elligibility to be in the USA is made at the point of entry, the border, any trips you make inside the country are very straightforward.

It is recommended when you travel anywhere that requires you to use your passport that you have at least 6 months on it. Mine expires in 2017, so I have a while yet. Though my girlfriends expires in november, and she was grilled about this when we were down there last.

I'm British, just as clarification and all the information I've given is from personal experience

 

[canuck_in_uk]

Hi

No ESTA is needed to enter the US by land. https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1132/~/citizen-of-visa-waiver-country,-wants-to-drive-into-u.s.-from-canada-or-mexico,

As said above, you'll have no issues on the internal flight, just your passport will suffice.

See the bottom of this page https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/572/kw/passport%20validity%20to%20enter%20USA. It gives a list of countries exempted from the 6 month rule and Germany is one of them, so you should be alright to travel to the US with less. But always better to have longer validity

 

[iam_toby]

Thanks a lot guys!! That helped a lot. No I can start planning without having to worry
about visa related issues. Thanks a ton!