90 days per stay or 90 days per year?

LilyPool

Hi,

I spent 83 days travelling along the west coast from the 6th April to the 28th June this year.

I'm going back to the US ( but to Philadelphia and Boston this time for 10 days) on the 20th September for my Uncle's 70th birthday party.

Up until now, I've been told that you can spend a maximum of 90 days per stay with a reasonable time between stays. However, several people have told me that this rule has now changed and that you can only stay a maximum of 90 days per year.

My fear isn't that I will be refused entry into the states when I go back in September, but that I will have stayed more than 90 days this year and therefore will be refused entry in future.

Can anyone clarify this for me please? I've tried contacting the US embassy in Dublin but only got through to an automated message.

ProudDUB

The max stay per visit, is 90 days. It's not 90 days per year.

However, if you already spent close to that amount of time in the US & are going back again soon, be prepared for more detailed questions from the US immigration authorities, this time around. They may want clarification as to the nature of your first visit & the exact nature of your second visit. It can't hurt to bring proof that you have ties to Ireland that will make it likely that you are going to return here at the end of your 2nd holiday...a job, a college course you are returning to, that kind of stuff.

billy few mates

I spent 85 days here in the U.S. on an ESTA, returned to Ireland and returned again to the U.S. five days later on the same ESTA, nobody said anything to me and I'm still here two months later where I intend to stay for another couple of weeks before returning home.

ParkRunner

The general rule for those visiting Ireland and Schengen countries is that you can stay 90 days in any 180 day period. Not sure if the same rule applies in the U.S.

billy few mates

I enquired here first time around when I looked to see if it were possible to extend an ESTA or apply for a visa while in the country on an ESTA, I spoke to several people in various regional CBP offices and as far as they were aware there were no rules regarding how many visits you could make on an ESTA or if there was a limit on the number of days between visits etc, they only rule they could find was maximum stay 90 days.

jaymcg91

Until you get a CBP officer that doesn't like the look of you and starts being a **** for no reason at all .

iusedtoknow

As others have said, it's 90 days per stay - however the rule of thumb is that you should stay out of the country for as long as you were in the country. This is particularly the case if you have been there for the full 90 days. If you try get back in after a weekend out, you will more likely get more questions at the border

billy few mates

I wasn't asked a single question other than business or pleasure, to which I replied business, he didn't even ask me anything about the business I was involved in.