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Explore visasDS-160Overview

C-1 / C-1/D / C-2 / C-3Transit through the United States

For travelers passing straight through the United States to another country, crewmembers traveling to join a ship or aircraft, and certain foreign officials and United Nations travelers in transit.

At a glance

How you apply
You apply to a U.S. consular officer, who must be satisfied that you qualify. With limited exceptions, a C-2 or C-3 visa is issued only after the consulate receives a note from the appropriate foreign office, mission or international organization
Checked Oct 18, 2026[1,2]
How long you can stay
C-1 and C-3: up to 29 days. C-2: if otherwise admissible, you must go directly to the immediate vicinity of the United Nations (UN) Headquarters District (within a 25-mile radius of Columbus Circle, New York), stay there continuously and leave it only to depart the United States. No C class can extend its stay
Checked Oct 18, 2026[3,4]
Changing to another status
Generally not. If you were admitted in transit (C), you may not apply to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) to change to another nonimmigrant status, unless you are applying for T nonimmigrant status (victims of human trafficking) or petitioning for U nonimmigrant status (victims of criminal activity)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[5]
Can you work
C-1: no; a person in transit may not take any employment in the United States. A foreign government official in transit (C-2 or C-3) may be employed only by the foreign government entity
Checked Oct 18, 2026[4,6]
Visa fee
C-1 and C-1/D: $185 application fee per person, plus any issuance (reciprocity) fee set for your nationality. C-2 and C-3: no application fee. Amounts from 22 CFR 22.1 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026); see Fees High confidence
Checked Oct 18, 2026[2,7]

What C visas are

Transit (C) visas are nonimmigrant (temporary) visas for people traveling in immediate and continuous transit through the United States on the way to another country, with few exceptions. The State Department's classification table (22 CFR 41.12) lists four C visa symbols under the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA).[8,9]This page covers transit visas only. It does not cover traveling without a visa under a visa-free program.

Official C visa symbols, from 22 CFR 41.12 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026)
SymbolClassSection of law
C1Noncitizen in TransitINA 101(a)(15)(C)
C1/DCombined Transit and Crewmember VisaINA 101(a)(15)(C) and (D)
C2Noncitizen in Transit to United Nations Headquarters District Under Sec. 11.(3), (4), or (5) of the Headquarters AgreementINA 101(a)(15)(C)
C3Foreign Government Official, Immediate Family, Attendant, Servant, or Personal Employee, in TransitINA 212(d)(8)
Checked Oct 18, 2026[8,9]

Who qualifies for a C-1 transit visa

The consular officer must be satisfied that you:

  • Intend to pass in immediate and continuous transit through the United States.[1,8]
  • Have a common carrier ticket (a ticket from a company that carries passengers for the public, such as an airline) or other evidence of transportation arrangements to your destination.[1,8]
  • Have enough money to carry out the purpose of the transit journey, or have enough funds otherwise available for that purpose.[1,8]
  • Have permission to enter some country other than the United States after the transit, unless you submit satisfactory evidence that such advance permission is not required.[1,8]

For C-1 and C-1/D, the general visa refusal grounds apply: the grounds in INA 212(a), and INA 214(b), under which you are presumed to be an immigrant until you show the consular officer when you apply for the visa, and the immigration officer when you apply for admission, that you are entitled to nonimmigrant status. C-2 and C-3 applicants are exempt from most of these grounds (see below).[8,11]

Crewmembers: C-1 and C-1/D

A crewmember traveling to the United States as a passenger to join a ship or aircraft is classified C-1 and must meet all the C-1 requirements. If you also meet the requirements for a crewmember (D) visa, the consular officer may issue it together with the C-1 for future entries; when the reciprocity schedule gives C-1 and D the same number of entries and validity, they are issued as one combined C-1/D visa, and when they differ, as two separate visas. State Department guidance on crewmembers also says the Transit Without Visa (TWOV) program has been suspended indefinitely.[8,12]

The law, as amended in 2023, also covers a person passing in transit through the United States to board a vessel on which they will perform, or after getting off a vessel on which they performed, ship-to-ship liquid cargo transfers (lightering) with another vessel engaged in foreign trade. Admission in this class is for up to 180 days, and State Department guidance calls the visa for it C-4.[3,10,12]

Foreign officials and UN travel: C-2 and C-3

  • C-2 is for a person entitled to pass in transit to and from the United Nations (UN) Headquarters District and a foreign country under paragraphs (3), (4) and (5) of section 11 of the UN Headquarters Agreement. If you are otherwise admissible, you are admitted on the additional conditions that you go directly to the immediate vicinity of the Headquarters District (within a 25-mile radius of Columbus Circle, New York), stay there continuously and leave it only to depart the United States, and that you have a document showing you can enter another country afterward.[2,3]
  • If you come under paragraph (3) of section 11, for example as a representative of the press, radio, film or other information agencies, a C-2 visa can be issued only if you present evidence of accreditation by the United Nations. As an alternative to C-2, the consular officer may issue a temporary visitor for business visa (B-1) or a foreign information media visa (I) if you otherwise qualify for it and pay any required fee.[2,9]
  • C-3 is for an accredited official of a foreign government (someone holding an official position with that government, not an honorary one) traveling in immediate and continuous transit through the United States on official business for that government, if that government grants similar privileges to U.S. officials. The official's immediate family, attendants, servants or personal employees receive the same classification. As an exception to the usual passport validity requirement, a C-3 traveler needs to present only a valid, unexpired visa and a travel document valid for entry into a foreign country for at least 30 days from the date of applying for admission to the United States.[13,14]
  • Only four grounds of refusal in INA 212(a) apply to C-2 and C-3 applicants: 212(a)(3)(A), (3)(B), (3)(C) and (7)(B). The exception is C-3 personal or domestic employees, to whom all grounds apply.[2,14]
  • A personal or domestic employee applying for a C-3 visa must present a copy of an employment contract with the employer that includes the terms State Department guidance requires, in a language the employee understands and signed by both; if it is not in English, an accurate English translation must be attached. The employer must already be in a qualifying official status in the United States, or hold a qualifying official visa such as C-3 and travel with or ahead of the employee. These applicants are subject to all visa refusal grounds, including INA 214(b).[2]

Fees

State Department fees from 22 CFR 22.1 (eCFR current as of Oct. 1, 2026), with State Department guidance in 9 FAM 402.3 and 402.8. The application fee is per person; the issuance (reciprocity) fee depends on your nationality.
ClassVisa application feeVisa issuance (reciprocity) fee
C-1$185Set by reciprocity for your nationality
C-1/D$185; two application fees if the C-1 and D visas have to be issued as separate visas (when their reciprocity schedules differ)Set by reciprocity for your nationality
C-2No feeNo fee for an applicant transiting to and from UN Headquarters
C-3, including personal or domestic employeesNo feeState Department guidance: charged based on reciprocity, except in limited cases. 22 CFR 22.1 separately exempts an official representative of a foreign government, and their immediate families, from the issuance fee
High confidenceChecked Oct 18, 2026[2,7,12]

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Answers come from our sourced database and your own timeline, sorted into fact, public data, inference and unknown. No AI model is used in this version, so questions outside what we cover get an honest "not covered".

Questions people ask

Can I use a C-1 visa for a sightseeing stopover in the United States?

No. A C-1 stay is for immediate and continuous transit, on a prearranged itinerary without unreasonable layover privileges. To stop over to visit friends or sightsee, you have to qualify for the visa required for that purpose.[8]

My cruise ship stops at a U.S. port, but I do not plan to get off. Do I need a visa?

State Department guidance says yes. A passenger who boards a ship at a foreign port, headed to a foreign destination and with no intention of landing in the United States, still needs a transit visa or another nonimmigrant visa if the ship makes port in the United States during the journey, because that counts as an entry.[8]This answer does not cover travelers who may be exempt from the visa requirement under a visa-free program.

My plans changed after I arrived. Can I extend my stay or switch to another status?

High confidence No. C-1, C-2 and C-3 travelers are not eligible to extend their stay, and a person admitted in transit cannot apply to USCIS to change to another nonimmigrant status, except to apply for T or U nonimmigrant status. If your situation is unusual, an immigration attorney can review your options.[4,5,15]

Related categories

Content last reviewed: Oct 18, 2026 · General information, not legal advice.

Sources

  1. 1.22 CFR 41.71eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  2. 2.9 FAM 402.3 - Foreign government officials (incl. 402.3-5(I) AIT and TECRO)U.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  3. 3.8 CFR 214.2(c) - TransitseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  4. 4.8 CFR 214.1 - Requirements for admission, extension, and maintenance of statuseCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  5. 5.Change My Nonimmigrant Status - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  6. 6.8 CFR 274a.12 - Classes of aliens authorized to accept employmenteCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  7. 7.22 CFR 22.1 - Schedule of fees for consular services (Department of State)eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  8. 8.9 FAM 402.4 TRANSIT VISAS – C VISASU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  9. 9.22 CFR 41.12eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  10. 10.8 U.S.C. 1101 (INA 101) - Definitions, incl. 101(a)(15)(E), (H), (L), 101(a)(44), 101(a)(45)U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel · Statute · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  11. 11.8 U.S.C. 1184 (INA 214) - Admission of nonimmigrantsU.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Law Revision Counsel · Statute · Checked Sep 27, 2026
  12. 12.9 FAM 402.8 [REDACTED] CREW – D AND C1/D VISASU.S. Department of State (Foreign Affairs Manual) · USCIS Policy Manual · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  13. 13.22 CFR 41.23eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  14. 14.22 CFR 41.21eCFR (Office of the Federal Register) · Regulation · Checked Oct 18, 2026
  15. 15.Extend Your Stay - USCISUSCIS · Agency page · Checked Oct 18, 2026