US Transit Visa (C-1) question

Conchman

Conchman

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My girlfriend just got her US Transit Visa to travel to The Bahamas via Miami from DR. The reason we applied for a transit visa first is because we good a tip from a diplomat that its a good idea to get a US Transit Visa first, before applying for a US Tourist Visa (she is Ukrainian w/Dominican residency), as the requirements may be lower and a completed transit passage looks good in the application for the tourist visa (B-1).

Now I was looking at the C-1 visa, its good for one year, so I have the following questions:

1) is this visa good for multiple round-trip transits through the US, or just one round-trip transit?

2) in the US Immigration web sites it says the C-1 is good for stays up to 29 days, does this mean I can now book a trip with a few days stay in Miami and do some shopping with her?

I know I should direct these questions at the US Embassy, but that beauracracy is tough to talk to. I am looking for answers from people who have used a C-1 visa since transit regulations were changed after Sept. 11th, 2001.
 
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rubio_higuey

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Feb 7, 2007
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Conchman said:
1) is this visa good for multiple round-trip transits through the US, or just one round-trip transit?
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If it says "Entries: M" you can enter as many times as you wish during that year.

Conchman said:
2) in the US Immigration web sites it says the C-1 is good for stays up to 29 days, does this mean I can now book a trip with a few days stay in Miami and do some shopping with her?
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No you can shop but the same day. You cannot stay several days on C-1.

from C-1 Transit Visa

An immigration officer at the port of entry can admit a person holding a C-1 transit visa
for the duration determined by him/her, but for a maximum duration of 29 days. You must leave the U.S. on the
proposed flight or ship of departure, or within 29 days, whichever is earlier. You must pass in immediate
and continuous transit through the U.S.

A transit visa is particularly very useful if you need to change airports in the U.S. Even if you don't need
to change the airport, if there is a long delay before you can board your flight to the final destination, instead
of waiting in the airport, you can get out and tour the nearby places, visit friends or family members, or do
shopping.

However, even if you are planning to stay in the U.S. even for a day, you should apply for the B1/B2 visa.
 
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bermyboy

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Conchman what did she have to do for the c1 transit visa this would be perfect for my wife instead of going through England only to fly back over the Atlantic to get to Bermuda.
 
Conchman

Conchman

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Well you apply at the US Embassy in Sto Dgo, you can get the form online, then you have to purchase a phone reservation card (no kidding) in order to get a live appointment. You need documents like passport, travel flight reservations, visas for the final destination (they waived this because for Bahamas you need US visa first), copies of property like land or cars, and a letter from the employer, bank statements/references. I forget if she needed police/medical certificates.

I heard its the same process and requirements as the B-1 tourist visa, but this may be in theory only. They probably give out the C-1 visa easier, but based on the same information/documents. Otherwise the diplomat would not have given me this tip.

I am sure it also depends on the mood of the beauracrat you are facing at the time. I have had some horror experiences with US Immigration, its one of the worst beauracracies I have ever encountered.
 
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windeguy

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Jul 10, 2004
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Conchman said:
Well you apply at the US Embassy in Sto Dgo, you can get the form online, then you have to purchase a phone reservation card (no kidding) in order to get a live appointment. You need documents like passport, travel flight reservations, visas for the final destination (they waived this because for Bahamas you need US visa first), copies of property like land or cars, and a letter from the employer, bank statements/references. I forget if she needed police/medical certificates.

I heard its the same process and requirements as the B-1 tourist visa, but this may be in theory only. They probably give out the C-1 visa easier, but based on the same information/documents. Otherwise the diplomat would not have given me this tip.

I am sure it also depends on the mood of the beauracrat you are facing at the time. I have had some horror experiences with US Immigration, its one of the worst beauracracies I have ever encountered.
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It sounds like a B1 visa application and yes the bureaucracy is bad.
 
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HumbleHindu

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I have restricted type C1 visa issued in 2009 and valid till 2014 with multiple entries. I had passed through US several times. They normally stamp visa for 29 days on entry but you cannot expect that and buy a ticket to stay in US. They will ask several questions like what time the connecting flight and sometimes they demanded the boarding card of the connecting flight. But you can get inside the country for shopping if you have time. I had once missed the connecting flight and stayed one night in a hotel and went the next day.
 
Conchman

Conchman

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update: My girlfriend now has the regular tourist visa but we have been interrogated in a room in the back in Miami on numerous occasions. When she still had the C-1 visa they once claimed that she cannot stay for 29 days, tore apart her luggage and claimed they were 'suspicous' because she was crying. Not the sharpest tools in the shed, of course a young girl will be crying when you take her in a back room, take apart her luggage, and ask her a million unrelated questions. Then the officers got in an argument between each other because one didnt believe you could stay for 29 days on a transit visa, we were staying about two days because of a connecting flight issue compounded by an emergency hospital stay for my father. She ended up missing the connecting flight in Miami, they wouldnt tell me zero where she was, or what was going on, I wasn't even sure if she was still in there or if I had lost her in the airport after they pulled her in the room. After about two hours later I finally found her in tears. On another trip we both got questioned in the back and our luggage torn apart. It may have to do with the fact that we have a lot of trips between Dominican Republic and The Bahamas via Miami, but they are all legit and I am getting really tired of the harassment, persecution, delays, interrogations with the same questions (next time I will just give them a list of answers because I know what the questions are going to be), and incompetence. We may start flying through Panama instead, it may take longer in the air, but it may save in real time. Last time we didnt get the back room interrogation, but we got to stand 1.5hours in the regular line in Miami. You can't go to the bathroom if you are alone. For a 'developed' country this whole situation is bad and embarrassing.
 
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SKY

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Apr 11, 2004
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Conchman said:
Wish they would focus on "Illegal" Immigration but it seems the people who follow the law get punished most.
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I know a lot of people that live outside of the US and refuse to even change planes in the US. They go hours out of their way to avoid these Nazis working "Homeland Security". And speaking of changing planes, the US is the ONLY Country in the World where you have to go through Customs to change planes. I would like to have a dollar for every poor tourist that missed his connection because of this nonsense.
 
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PJT

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Jan 8, 2002
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The terrorists are the real nazis

SKY said:
I know a lot of people that live outside of the US and refuse to even change planes in the US. They go hours out of their way to avoid these Nazis working "Homeland Security". And speaking of changing planes, the US is the ONLY Country in the World where you have to go through Customs to change planes. I would like to have a dollar for every poor tourist that missed his connection because of this nonsense.
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The terrorists are the real nazis. Please KEEP THAT IN MIND. The security checks we now endure are a result of 9/11. The US does not want another 9/11 on its soil or in fact the soil of another nation. PJT would love to transit without having to remove his belt or shoes or suffer a pat down. Foreign travelers in transit would love the freedom to change planes in the US without having to apply for documents or answer 20 questions at airport customs. PJT dislikes the stress and annoyance of the security checks but at least he can feel somewhat comfortable checks are being done. You have to ask yourself how comfortable would you feel on a flight where security was minimal.

This is the world we live in.


Regards,

PJT
 
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Robin Sheenh

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Feb 15, 2015
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transit visa c

HumbleHindu said:
I have restricted type C1 visa issued in 2009 and valid till 2014 with multiple entries. I had passed through US several times. They normally stamp visa for 29 days on entry but you cannot expect that and buy a ticket to stay in US. They will ask several questions like what time the connecting flight and sometimes they demanded the boarding card of the connecting flight. But you can get inside the country for shopping if you have time. I had once missed the connecting flight and stayed one night in a hotel and went the next day.
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hi i bought the tickets for india from vancouver through usa ,didnt know i needed visa for only 50 mins stays .i still got 45 days for my flight .should i apply for visa how long does it take for processing and is it multiple entry or single entry because im coming back through states too after 2 months
 
Conchman

Conchman

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Are you Canadian citizen or resident, applying for a US visa in Canada? Then yes, you have to get the US visa from the country you are officially residing in (your legal residence).

It will be good for multiple visits, at least my girlfriend's was.
 
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