In this video
- A client’s question about US visas
- Refusal rates in the Caribbean
- Two EU members that still need a visa
- Turkey, Vanuatu and other routes
- Argentina and the 3% threshold
- What a consular officer looks at
- Entry restrictions and investment programs
The short answer
No second citizenship guarantees you a US visa. If travel to the United States matters to you, two official lists help you compare nationalities: the Visa Waiver Program countries, whose citizens can usually visit with an ESTA instead of a visa, and the State Department’s B visa refusal rates by nationality. Neither predicts your own case, which a consular officer decides on your circumstances.
Key takeaways
- Citizens of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries can visit the United States for business or tourism for up to 90 days with an approved ESTA, and an ESTA does not decide admission at the border.
- In fiscal year 2025 the State Department’s adjusted B visa refusal rate was 22.25% for Turkish nationals and 7.47% for Argentines, against 38.89% to 43.73% for Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica and Grenada.
- A national refusal rate is an average of every applicant of that nationality: your own ties, funds and travel purpose are what the officer weighs.
Who can visit the United States without a visa
The Visa Waiver Program (opens in a new tab) lets citizens of designated countries travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. Before boarding, each traveller needs approval through ESTA, the online travel authorization of US Customs and Border Protection. An approved ESTA does not decide admission: a border officer still does that on arrival.
The Department of Homeland Security lists 42 Visa Waiver Program countries: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and the United Kingdom. Some entries carry conditions, for example for passports from the former Netherlands Antilles.
Eligibility follows your passport, not your residence. A residence permit in Hungary or Latvia, both on the list, does not by itself make you eligible: the program is for citizens of the listed countries.
How the State Department measures refusals
Each year the State Department publishes an adjusted refusal rate for B visas by nationality (opens in a new tab), the visitor and business visas most travellers need. An applicant counts once a year, in the status they ended it with, so a refusal later overcome is not counted as a refusal. Fiscal year 2025 ran from October 2024 to September 2025.
The rate matters for the program itself. One of the conditions for a country’s initial designation is a B visa refusal rate of less than 3%, among other security and information-sharing requirements. In fiscal year 2025, two EU members outside the program had rates of 5.11% (Bulgaria) and 8.41% (Romania). Romania was designated on 9 January 2025, but the designation was rescinded on 2 May 2025 before it took effect.
Refusal rates for countries with investment citizenship routes
None of the countries below is in the Visa Waiver Program, so their citizens apply for a US visa. The table gives the State Department’s figure for each nationality in fiscal year 2025.
| Nationality | Refusal rate |
|---|---|
| Argentina | 7.47% |
| Turkey | 22.25% |
| São Tomé and Príncipe | 25.00% |
| Botswana | 38.44% |
| Antigua and Barbuda | 38.89% |
| Dominica | 42.89% |
| Grenada | 43.73% |
| Vanuatu | 46.88% |
| El Salvador | 58.22% |
Turkey’s rate is well below the Caribbean range, and Turkish citizenship by investment sets no residence requirement before or after the grant. A Turkish passport still needs a US visa.
Argentina’s figure is the lowest in the table. Its investment route is new: the Ministry of Economy has said Argentina’s citizenship program will receive applications during the fourth quarter of 2026. The decree that created the route is being challenged in court, so confirm its status before you plan around it.
Why the national rate is not your rate
US law presumes that a visa applicant intends to immigrate until the applicant shows the consular officer otherwise (section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act). In practice the officer looks at your life outside the United States: established employment or a business, a home you own or rent long term, family, the funds to pay for the trip and a reason to return.
Rafael Cintron, who founded Wealthy Expat, makes the same point in the video: where you live and what you have built there matter as much as the passport. If you hold one country’s citizenship but live in another, the officer will look at your ties in the country where you live. He also notes that a national rate includes applicants who apply without preparing their case.
Entry restrictions linked to investment programs
Citizenship by investment has also become a stated ground for US restrictions. Proclamation 10998 (opens in a new tab), signed on 16 December 2025 and effective from 1 January 2026, suspended entry for nationals of Antigua and Barbuda and of Dominica as immigrants and on B, F, M and J visas, saying each country “has historically had CBI without residency”. The Secretary of State reviews the restrictions every 180 days, so check their current status before you rely on either passport for US travel.
Travel access can change in other places too. The EU suspended visa-free Schengen travel for Vanuatu nationals from 4 February 2023, and Vanuatu has been on the EU visa-required list since 3 February 2025.
Choosing a citizenship with US travel in mind
Start from your travel pattern. If you need frequent short trips to the United States, compare the nationality’s refusal rate, whether it is in the Visa Waiver Program, and any current US restriction on it. Then look at the ties you can document in the country where you live, because those carry your application.
A second citizenship can still serve other aims, such as a plan B for your family or a broader choice of where to live. If you want to weigh these against each other, Build My Strategy compares the programs against your own priorities. This article is general information, not legal or immigration advice.
Frequently asked questions
Which countries are in the Visa Waiver Program?
The Department of Homeland Security lists 42 countries, among them most EU members, the United Kingdom, Switzerland, Norway, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, Israel, Qatar, Chile and Brunei. Bulgaria, Cyprus and Romania are EU members that are not on the list. Citizens of listed countries need an approved ESTA before travelling.
Can I travel to the United States without a visa on a Turkish passport?
No. Turkey is not in the Visa Waiver Program, so Turkish citizens apply for a US visa. In fiscal year 2025 the State Department’s adjusted refusal rate for Turkish B visa applicants was 22.25%.
Does a second citizenship guarantee a US visa?
No. A consular officer decides each visa application on the applicant’s own circumstances, and a nationality with a low refusal rate does not secure an approval. A citizenship from a Visa Waiver Program country lets you apply for an ESTA instead, which still does not guarantee admission at the border.
Sources and methodology
- Visa Waiver Program (opens in a new tab)US Department of Homeland Security · 28 Oct 2026
- Adjusted Refusal Rate, B-Visas Only, by Nationality, Fiscal Year 2025 (opens in a new tab)US Department of State
- Proclamation 10998: Restricting and Limiting the Entry of Foreign Nationals To Protect the Security of the United States (opens in a new tab)Federal Register · 19 Dec 2025
