Traveling to the USA with an Iran visa in your passport: my experience report

What should I do if I am suddenly confronted with entry restrictions due to travel to certain countries? Every year, the “Passport Index” documents which passports are the most carefree to travel with due to visa agreements. In 2018, Singapore and South Korea lead the way, followed by Germany and Japan. Switzerland is in fifth place together with Malaysia, Ireland and Canada. Not bad! With our passport, we can travel to an incredible number of destinations without a visa thanks to joint agreements. This can be seen in the example of South America, where we were allowed to enter all four countries we visited (Chile, Argentina, Bolivia and Peru) with a free “visa on arrival”. However, if you travel to certain countries that are a thorn in the side of another country, then even with a Swiss passport you are not immune to possible consular visits and visa applications.

Without ESTA to the USA – US visa application after Iran trip: this is how it works

In 2016, the U.S. began implementing the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015. This anti-terrorism measure stipulated that persons who travelled to Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria from 1 March 2011 onwards would no longer be able to use the ESTA programme. Whether this is really an anti-terror measure or not much more of an economic hurdle for unpopular Middle Eastern countries is debatable. In my view, at least as far as Iran is concerned, it is the latter. Anyone who is now considering a possible trip to Iran – whether for economic or tourist reasons – acknowledges that they are no longer allowed to use the practical ESTA application form for future trips to the USA, but must submit a visa application.

When I traveled to Iran last July, I already knew that we would love to visit Hawaii a few months later. And unfortunately – even though the Hawaiian archipelago is far from the US mainland – Hawaii belongs to the USA. I was therefore aware that I would have to take care of the entry formalities to the USA after my return from Iran.

Visa USA: Apply for a visa

Applying for a visa to the USA is time-consuming and costly. The procedure for Swiss citizens is as follows:

• Fill out the online form “DS-160” with personal details, documentation of previous U.S. entries and the reason for travel
• Transfer the visa fee of $160 dollars by bank
• Make an appointment at the U.S. Embassy
• Attend the “interview appointment” at the U.S. Embassy in Bern

The details of how to apply can be found on this official page with the corresponding direct links.

In contrast to the ESTA, which I can fill out online with a few clicks and for a manageable fee of $14, the application for a US visa is much more complex. In addition to the visa costs, there are also the “costs” associated with a trip to Bern (train tickets) and the associated loss of work. Unlike other visa applications, there is no option to delegate this to one person. You have to go to the embassy in person. For a moment, I toyed with the idea of simply applying for a new passport. The problem, however, is that when you fill out the ESTA form, you are asked if you have traveled to the countries mentioned after 2011 and thus you are deliberately lying when filling it out. No idea if the U.S. is capable of figuring this out. But I think it doesn’t make you travel to the USA with a good feeling. And that’s why, a good three months before the departure of our six-month trip, I sat down one evening and filled out the online form “DS-160”.

The questions “when do I enter the USA”, “who do I visit there” and “where do I stay” I found quite pointless. The U.S. authority recommends that you first submit the U.S. visa application before booking a trip to the U.S. So how am I supposed to know when exactly I’m going to enter which airport and where I’m going to stay? I had simply used something in these fields in relation to my intended destination Hawaii. It took about 45 minutes to fill out the online form, including reading through the procedure and gathering previous entry data into the USA (by the way, it’s worth consulting the passport stamps for this). After that, I transferred the visa fee according to the instructions. The following day, I was activated to make an appointment. For the next free appointments, a week of waiting time was necessary, which is standard. I recommend choosing a time slot as early as possible (starting at 8:15 a.m. depending on the day of the week), as this will limit delays. The earliest possible appointment for me was a week later at 8:15 am.

Before the interview, I was relatively nervous. I tend not to take the seriousness of the Americans seriously in this context, which is relatively clear to me. However, I made up my mind to answer all kinds of questions in a well-behaved and patient manner this time. After all, it’s for the fight against terrorism…

At the U.S. Embassy in Bern, I first had to show the appropriate documents in order to be allowed to join the queue. The queue takes place according to the corresponding time slots. This is followed by a security check, as you know it from the airport. You have to hand over all electronic devices (and show that they are turned off). It is pointed out in advance that only small bags with minimal contents may be brought along. This is followed by three switches. At the first counter, the completeness of the documents and the application form is checked. At the second counter, the fingerprints are taken and at the third counter, the interview takes place. I had prepared myself for everything but the fact that this matter would be dealt with in less than five minutes. The dialogue went something like this:

“Why don’t you use ESTA?”

“Because I was in Iran.”

“What did you do in Iran?”

“Travelled the country and went trekking to the highest mountain in Iran.”

“Oh, exciting! I’ve heard that Iran is very beautiful.” “Your visa application has been accepted.”

He said, stamped my form and informed me that my passport with visa would be sent to me by mail a few days later. In fact, I had it in the mail three working days later.

Conclusion: so much effort, just because I traveled to a country that doesn’t find the USA casual. And the snappy bargaining at the U.S. embassy shows me that it’s really more of a “bureaucratic hurdle” than a counter-terrorism measure. Sure, maybe you’ll fish them out of one or the other suspicious person. But for the vast majority, it is a fact that influences their travel decision for or against Iran (or even the USA).

I now have a valid U.S. B1/B2 visa (business and tourist visa) for ten years, which will remain valid even after my passport expires if the corresponding page is not perforated.

Entry into the USA: From Lima via Los Angeles to Hawaii

Despite my U.S. visa in my passport, I was slightly nervous about the upcoming entry into the U.S. at the end of our South American journey. A visa per se only gives permission to take a flight to the USA. Whether you are then allowed to enter the country effectively is decided by the local border authority. And since you always read horror stories of hours of “interrogations” etc., my anticipation about the entry procedure was limited. We traveled from Lima via Fort Lauderdale to Los Angeles. Direct flights between Lima and Los Angeles are horrendously expensive. The cheaper Jet Blue alternative with a five-hour stopover in Fort Lauderdale seemed more attractive to us. When we tried to check in online 24 hours before departure, there was an error message on the first attempt, which said we had to report to the airline’s ground staff at the airport. I tried a second time, but only entered the name of the friend who was not in Iran and had filled out the ESTA application form – this worked perfectly. He received his boarding pass. For me, the second attempt also failed. As you can imagine, this kind of thing makes you nervous.

In the end, everything was half as wild and my former concerns about whether entering the USA via Peru would not cause additional difficulties turned out to be a positive factor. The Peruvians all have to enter the USA with visas. This means that the airport staff in Lima are used to checking the visas in the passports. The friend caused more confusion because the good gentleman simply couldn’t find a visa in his passport. I also received my boarding pass without the dreaded “SSSS” on it and in Fort Lauderdale we chatted friendly with the border guard about our Hawaii vacation and the subsequent onward journey to Japan. “Oh, you’re going to love the cherry blossoms. Japan is wonderful.” Oh USA, you never cease to surprise.

The only question mark that remains is whether I will have difficulties with online check-in on all future US flights. I assume that airlines automatically check the ESTA registration of their passengers and therefore you have a “technical” disadvantage with a visa.

Venice Beach Vibes

After two pleasant flights with Jet Blue (we have only had good experiences with this airline so far), we reached Los Angeles. We had decided to make a three-day stopover here. Since we booked all the flights of our trip as individual flights, such “buffers” between the individual destinations seemed sensible to me. Be it because the suitcase does not arrive, or otherwise something unforeseen happens. In addition, I have never been to the US West Coast, which of course more than justifies a stopover. Nevertheless, I never had the ambition to complete an extensive sightseeing program for our stopover in Los Angeles. I’m only moderately interested in all the Hollywood stuff.

We booked an apartment on Venice Beach (Venice Suites) for three days. In my opinion a great location. Close to the airport and within walking distance to the Santa Monica Pier and the beautiful Venice Canals Walkway. My favorite place in this area was quickly found: Abbot Kinney Boulevard with its numerous casual restaurants and cool concept stores. If I didn’t have to carry my bag with me for another three months, I would probably have fallen into the shopping bug here without restraint. So it remained with a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. We tried a few restaurants. My favorites are “The Buchter’s Daugther” and “Gjelina” as well as the ice cream from “Salt & Straw”.

Honolulu in a nutshell

After three days in Los Angeles, we continued our journey with Hawaiian Airlines towards Hawaii. First we headed for the island of Oahu with the capital Honolulu. In total, we spent four nights on Oahu. Three at the beginning and one at the end of the journey before the onward flight to Japan. Originally, I had the idea to spend a full day in Waikiki and then rent a car for a day to drive to the North Shore. In the end, we decided not to rent a day, as Honolulu offers enough activities for two full days. We explored China Town, visited the Honolulu Museum of Art, walked along Waikiki Beach, tried Shaved Ice (from Island Vintage Shave Ice), climbed Diamond Head and enjoyed the great evening atmosphere. In contrast to the other islands, Oahu was extremely friendly to us in terms of weather.

In Honolulu, I can recommend the Steak Shack, Marukame Udon and the South Shore Grill (just outside Waikiki towards Diamond Head) for an inexpensive but extremely delicious meal. For a refreshing ice cream, Iceland Vintage Shave Ice “Henry’s Place” is a good option. And if you want to dine in style with a sea view, Orchids is the right place for you. On the other hand, we were not convinced by the much-praised Roy’s.

It’s not easy to spend the night in Waikiki at a reasonable price and not end up in a rather horrible accommodation. Most accommodations charge a resort fee in addition to the room price, so you quickly end up with at least around $200 per night for a double room. We stayed for 3 nights at the Coconut Waikiki Hotel, which offers an okay price-performance ratio but is rather semi-optimal in terms of location. Thanks to a tip on Eliane Tschudi’s blog and a good Booking Genius deal, we tried the Hotel Renew in Waikiki for the last night in Waikiki. If I had to choose one, it would be Hotel Renew. The location is great and depending on the room category you have a sea view.