


While it does not guarantee entry to the US, a US visa stamp indicates that a consular officer at a US Embassy/Consulate abroad has determined the foreign national is eligible to seek entry in a particular visa classification to engage in a specific set of activities permitted by the visa. US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) will review the visa in the passport and all supporting documents and determine if the foreign national may enter-meaning that even with a valid visa stamp, admission to the US is at the discretion of CBP. With a valid US visa stamp, foreign nationals may apply for admission to the US at a port of entry. A visa stamp is processed into a foreign national's passport by a US Embassy/Consulate abroad. With some exceptions, foreign nationals who seek to enter the US must first obtain a US visa stamp. This may seem straightforward, but given all the acronyms and abbreviations (not to mention occasional administrative errors), this can easily become confusing. Congratulations-if you are reading this, chances are you are the proud holder (or soon-to-be-holder) of a shiny new US visa stamp! Or maybe you’re just curious-that’s fine too.įor those foreign nationals who have a visa stamp, it is crucial to understand what it is, what it does, and what everything on it means.
