US visa categories at a glance
All US visa categories from A to V explained – with meaning, target group and key facts. And wherever we support you, with directly bookable application preparation.
The United States distinguishes two kinds of visas: non-immigrant visas for temporary stays and immigrant visas (green card) for permanent relocation. Non-immigrant visas are ordered by letters and follow the purpose of travel – from A for diplomatic visas to V. Each letter stands for a purpose of stay, often with subtypes such as B-1/B-2 or H-1B.
The most relevant categories for travellers from Europe: visits and business trips run on the B-1/B-2 visa, study and exchange on F-1 and J-1, and work, transfers and investment on the H, L, E and O categories. For short stays of up to 90 days from a Visa Waiver country, an ESTA authorisation is usually enough instead of a visa; Global Entry additionally speeds up entry for frequent travellers.
On this page you will find the complete directory of all categories with their meaning and basic details. As a private service provider we prepare your application in our service areas in a structured way – decisions are made solely by the responsible US authorities.
Our service areas
In these five areas we prepare your application in a structured way – with bookable services, transparent prices and personal guidance in the customer portal.
Visitors & Business
Tourism, family and business visits: ESTA and the B-1/B-2 visitor visa.
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Study & Exchange
Study, language courses and exchange programmes: F-1, M-1 and J-1.
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Work, Business & Investors
Work, invest and transfer: treaty, transfer and specialist visas.
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Global Entry
Expedited entry for frequent travellers with the Trusted Traveler Program.
View categoryWhich category fits my purpose of travel?
Match your travel purpose to the right area – or start the visa check for guided orientation.
All US visa categories from A to V
Every category with its meaning, target group and key facts – from A for diplomatic visas to V. Where we support you with our own services, a link leads straight to that area.
Categories with an arrow link belong to our service areas. All other categories are listed for complete orientation – we do not offer application services for them.
Visits & business travel
The B category covers almost all short private and business stays – from holidays and family visits to trade-fair trips.
Business visitors
For business purposes without US employment: meetings, conferences, trade fairs, contract negotiations or services for the foreign employer. Working for a US company is not permitted.
Stay: usually up to 6 months per entryWorking for a US employer: not permittedGo to service areaVisitors & BusinessB-2Tourists & visitors
For tourism, visiting family and friends and medical treatment. In practice the B visa is usually issued as a combined B-1/B-2 and is valid for several years for many nationalities.
Stay: usually up to 6 months per entryUsually issued as a combined B-1/B-2Go to service areaVisitors & BusinessVisa-free travel & entry programs
Not visas in the strict sense: for many travellers ESTA replaces the B visa, while Global Entry speeds up immigration inspection.
Visa-free travel (Visa Waiver Program)
Nationals of Visa Waiver countries (incl. Germany, Austria, Switzerland) enter for tourism or business for up to 90 days without a visa – with an electronic ESTA authorisation obtained in advance. After an ESTA denial, or for longer or different purposes, a visa is required.
Stay: max. 90 days per entryAuthorisation: usually valid 2 years, multiple entriesGo to service areaESTAGlobal EntryExpedited entry for frequent travellers
Trusted-traveller program of US Customs and Border Protection: after a background check and interview, members clear immigration at kiosks much faster – TSA PreCheck for domestic flights included. Replaces neither a visa nor ESTA.
Membership: 5 years, renewableDoes not replace a visa or ESTAGo to service areaGlobal EntryStudy, training & exchange
For academic and vocational education and government-designated exchange programs – from high school and university to an au-pair year.
Academic students
For full-time study or school attendance at a SEVP-certified institution: university, college, high school, language school or conservatory. Admission by the institution (Form I-20) is required; accompanying spouses and children receive the F-2 visa.
Stay: for the duration of study (Duration of Status)Work: limited only (e.g. on-campus, OPT/CPT)Go to service areaStudy & ExchangeM-1Vocational & non-academic training
For practical, non-academic training at approved institutions such as technical, flight or cosmetology schools. Unlike F-1, changing the training objective or working during the program is barely possible.
Stay: program length, usually up to 1 year (extendable)Work: generally not permittedGo to service areaStudy & ExchangeJ-1Exchange visitor programs
For participants of designated exchange programs: high-school exchange, study, internships and trainee programs, au pair, work & travel, researchers and professors. Requires a designated program sponsor (Form DS-2019); depending on the program, a two-year home-residency requirement may apply afterwards.
Stay: varies by program categoryPossible 2-year home-residency requirement (§ 212(e))Go to service areaStudy & ExchangeWork & assignments
Temporary work visas almost always require a US employer that files the petition with the immigration service USCIS.
Degreed professionals (specialty occupation)
For occupations requiring at least a bachelor’s degree in the field – e.g. IT, engineering, finance or medicine. The US employer files the petition; the annually issued visas are capped and allocated by registration/lottery when oversubscribed.
Stay: initially up to 3 years, max. 6 yearsAnnual cap with advance registrationGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsH-2A · H-2BSeasonal & temporary workers
H-2A covers seasonal agricultural work, H-2B temporary non-agricultural jobs, e.g. in tourism, hospitality or landscaping. Both require a proven temporary need of the US employer; H-2B is capped.
Stay: duration of need, usually under 1 yearOnly for nationals of designated countriesGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsH-3Trainees
For structured training programs at a US company that are not available in the home country – training rather than productive employment. Accompanying family members receive the H-4 visa.
Stay: program length, max. 2 yearsNo regular job; a training plan is requiredGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsL-1A · L-1BIntracompany transfers
For employees moving to a US branch within an international group: L-1A for executives and managers, L-1B for staff with specialised company knowledge. Usually requires one year with the group within the last three years; spouses (L-2) may work in the US.
Stay: L-1A max. 7 years, L-1B max. 5 yearsAlso available for opening a new US officeGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsProfessionals from Canada & Mexico (USMCA)
Special category under the USMCA trade agreement (formerly NAFTA): Canadian and Mexican nationals in listed professions (e.g. engineers, scientists, accountants) can work in the US under a simplified procedure. Not available to European nationals.
Stay: up to 3 years, renewableCanadian and Mexican nationals onlyJournalists & media representatives
For representatives of foreign media – reporters, film crews, editors – working in the US for an outlet based abroad. Covers editorial and informational work only, not commercial entertainment productions.
Stay: for the duration of the assignmentEmployer must be a foreign media outletGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsTrade & investment
The E category is based on treaties of trade and friendship between the US and the home country – Germany, Austria and many other states are treaty countries.
Treaty traders
For companies and their key personnel conducting substantial trade principally between the US and the treaty country – e.g. goods, services or technology. The company must be majority-owned by treaty-country nationals.
Stay: renewable as long as the trade continuesFor owners, executives and essential specialistsGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsE-2Treaty investors
For investors putting a substantial amount into an active US business and building or directing it – from franchises to founding a company. Executives and specialists of the investing company can also qualify; spouses may work.
Stay: renewable while the investment remains activeNo fixed minimum – the investment must be substantialGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsE-3Australian professionals
Special category exclusively for Australian nationals in degree-level occupations – similar in substance to H-1B, but with its own quota and simpler renewals.
Stay: 2 years, repeatedly renewableAustralian nationals onlyGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsArtists, athletes, culture & religion
For performances, engagements and roles tied to special recognition or programs – from world-class athletes to members of religious orders.
Extraordinary ability
For individuals with demonstrably extraordinary achievement in science, business, education, athletics (O-1A) or the arts, film and TV (O-1B) – evidenced by awards, publications, press or top remuneration. Essential support staff receive O-2, family members O-3 visas.
Stay: initially up to 3 years, extendableExtensive evidence + peer consultation requiredGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsP-1 · P-2 · P-3Athletes & entertainment groups
P-1 covers internationally recognised athletes, teams and entertainment groups, P-2 reciprocal artistic exchange programs, P-3 culturally unique performances. Unlike the O visa, the group or program is the focus.
Stay: duration of the engagement (P-1 athletes up to 5 years)US organiser/employer files the petitionGo to service areaWork, Business & InvestorsInternational cultural exchange
For participants of practical cultural exchange programs sharing the history, culture and traditions of their home country in the US – e.g. at theme parks or cultural centres. Employment and pay run through the US program sponsor.
Stay: program length, max. 15 monthsReligious workers
For ministers and workers of recognised religious denominations serving their community in the US – e.g. pastors, imams, cantors or members of religious orders. Requires at least two years of membership in the denomination.
Stay: initially up to 30 months, max. 5 yearsFamily & partnership
For partners of US citizens the route usually runs via the K visa or directly via an immigrant visa – joining green-card holders runs through family-based immigration.
Fiancé(e)s of US citizens
Allows entry to marry a US citizen within 90 days and then apply for the green card inside the US. Children of the fiancé(e) receive the K-2 visa.
Marriage: within 90 days of entryFollowed by adjustment of status to a green cardSpouses of US citizens
Bridge visa for already-married spouses while the immigration case is pending. Rare in practice, as the immigrant visa is usually processed directly.
Rarely used – the immigrant visa is usually processed directlySpecial cases (N & V visas)
The N visa concerns parents and children of certain special immigrants; the V visa was a transitional visa for families of green-card holders from the year 2000. Both are practically irrelevant today.
Practically no longer relevantDiplomacy & international organisations
For official representatives of states and international organisations – applied for via the sending government or organisation.
Diplomats & government officials
For ambassadors, diplomats, consular officers and other government officials on official duty (A-1/A-2) and their personal staff (A-3). Applications run through the sending government.
Stay: for the duration of official dutiesInternational organisations & NATO
For government representatives to international organisations (e.g. UN, World Bank), their staff and personal employees (G-1 to G-5), and NATO personnel of member states (NATO-1 to NATO-6).
Stay: for the duration of the postingTransit & crew
For pure transit through the US and for crews of aircraft and vessels.
Transit travellers
For immediate transit through the US to a third country, e.g. connecting on the way to Latin America (C-1), travel to the UN headquarters (C-2) and transiting government officials (C-3). ESTA-eligible travellers usually use ESTA for transit.
Stay: transit only (usually max. 29 days)Air & sea crew
For crew members of aircraft and vessels arriving in the US and departing with their ship or plane – e.g. pilots, flight attendants or seafarers. Usually issued as a combined C-1/D visa.
Stay: usually max. 29 days per callHumanitarian protection categories
Special categories for witnesses and victims of crime – not applied for in the regular way; they require cooperation with US authorities.
Witnesses & informants
For individuals assisting US law enforcement with essential information about criminal or terrorist organisations.
Victims of human trafficking
Protection status for victims of severe trafficking who are in the US and assist law enforcement; a later transition to a green card is possible.
Victims of certain crimes
For victims of serious crimes (e.g. violent offences) who suffered substantial physical or mental harm and cooperate with the authorities in the investigation.
Immigrant visas (green card)
Anyone wanting to live and work in the US permanently needs an immigrant visa – the green card – instead of a non-immigrant visa. The process differs fundamentally from the categories above.
Family-based immigration
For close relatives of US citizens (spouses, parents, children – without numerical limits) and further family preference categories, some with long waiting times. The US relative files the petition.
Petition filed by the US relative (Form I-130)Employment-based immigration
Five preference categories from outstanding researchers and executives (EB-1) to professionals with a job offer (EB-2/EB-3), special categories (EB-4) and major investors (EB-5). The US employer usually files the petition, partly after a labour-market test.
Annual quotas per category and country of originDiversity visa (green-card lottery)
Annual draw of immigrant visas for nationals of countries with low US immigration – Germany and Austria are regularly eligible. Entry only during the official registration window; a school diploma or qualifying work experience is required.
Registration: annually, official window onlyRequires a diploma or qualifying work experienceFor non-immigrants the main areas are: visitor & business visas (B-1/B-2), study & exchange (F-1/J-1), work, business & investors (H, L, E, O), plus visa-free travel with ESTA and the Global Entry trusted-traveller program. Which category applies depends on the purpose of your trip.
Travellers from a Visa Waiver country (e.g. Germany, Austria, Switzerland) staying up to 90 days for tourism or business usually only need an ESTA authorisation. Longer stays, study, work or a previous ESTA denial require a visa.
The free visa check asks a few plain-language questions about purpose, duration and nationality and gives you non-binding orientation on which category and service fit your situation.
Each category page lists the bookable services with transparent prices. Government fees (e.g. the consulate fee) apply in addition and are shown separately for every service.
Families and groups are not a visa category of their own: each person needs the application matching their purpose of travel (e.g. B-2, ESTA or F-1). We bundle the organisation for several applicants – see the Families & Groups page for details.
Each letter stands for a purpose of stay: B for visitors, F for students, H for temporary workers, L for intracompany transfers, E for trade and investment, O for extraordinary ability, K for fiancé(e)s of US citizens, and so on. The number denotes the subtype – in B-1/B-2, for example, the business vs. private purpose.
Non-immigrant visas (B, F, H, L, E, O and others) cover temporary stays with the intent to return. An immigrant visa leads to the green card and permanent residence – via family, employment (EB-1 to EB-5) or the annual green-card lottery (diversity visa). The two processes differ fundamentally.
It depends on qualification and situation: H-1B for degreed professionals, L-1 for intracompany transfers, E-1/E-2 for treaty traders and investors, O-1 for extraordinary achievement. In almost all cases the US employer must file the petition – a general “work visa” without an employer does not exist.
Our bookable services focus on visitor & business visas, study & exchange, work/business/investors and Global Entry. ESTA applications are handled by our cooperation partner and sister company esta-online.org. All other categories – such as diplomatic, transit or fiancé(e) visas – are listed for orientation; we do not offer application services for them.
Not sure which visa you need?
The visa check asks a few simple questions and gives you non-binding orientation – no sign-up required.
Important: we are a private service provider, not a government body. Decisions on visas and ESTA are made solely by the responsible US authorities. No one can guarantee approval.