Please note that Norwegian citizens travelling for general business or tourist purposes to the U.S. must hold either a machine-readable passport or an entry visa.
28/07/2008 :: If you are a Norwegian citizen holding a machine-readable passport and you are going to the U.S. for a stay of less than 90 days with a round-trip ticket and travelling for general business or tourist purposes, then you can probably travel without a visa on the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). If you are eligible to travel on the VWP, you may also transit the U.S. without a visa.
If you are not eligible to travel on the VWP, you are not eligible to transit the U.S. without a visa.
Norway is one of the countries that is exempt from the requirement that a passport must be valid for at least 6 months from the day that you enter the U.S.
Starting January 12, 2009, all persons traveling to the United States on the VWP will require electronic registration. This includes Norwegians traveling to the U.S. on business or pleasure with a machine-readable passport, without a visa. The requirements do not affect persons who enter the U.S. with a visa. Those procedures remain unchanged.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is a new online system that is part of the VWP. Voluntary use of this system is scheduled to start August 1, 2008. Once ESTA is mandatory on January 12, all citizens of visa waiver countries who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure under the VWP will need to receive an electronic travel authorization prior to boarding a U.S.-bound airplane or cruise ship. ESTA closely resembles the already existing pre-authorization procedure used in Australia.
Currently, citizens of VWP countries complete a written I-94W form providing basic biographical travel, and eligibility information while en-route to the U.S. With ESTA, VWP travelers will provide this same information online prior to departure for the U.S. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, and once approved, will be valid for up to two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever comes first. Authorizations will also be valid for multiple entries into the U.S.
It is recommended that an ESTA approval be obtained as soon as a VWP traveler begins to plan a trip to the U.S, and no later than 72 hours before departure.
Accompanied and unaccompanied children, regardless of age, will be required to obtain an independent ESTA approval.
On and after 1 August 2008, VWP traveleres can apply for an ESTA authorization at http://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/