A: That's the most frequently-asked question we get here at SaipanBookings. You can skip to the chart below to find the answer. However, here is some additional information to help you understand the chart.

1. The first thing to know is that the immigration for the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI; which includes Saipan, Tinian and Rota) is handled by the United States. Saipan is US commonwealth. Therefore, all the rules that apply for entry into the US mainland also apply to Saipan.

However, because Saipan is unique, there are a few exceptions:

2. There are 41 countries (see "Eligible Countries") for which the visa requirement is waived (in other words, a visa is not needed). If your country is on this list, you DO NOT need a visa. (symbol = ) HOWEVER, you WILL need to apply for the ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) if you are arriving to the US (including Saipan) by air or sea. ( Apply for Esta)

3. There are 12 additional countries that are part of a special visa waiver program (See "Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program") . If your country is on this list, you also DO NOT need a visa. For example, citizens of Mainland China can still visit the Northern Mariana Islands in a parole arrangement for up to 45 days." (symbol = )

4. If you see this symbol , and are on the special GUAM-CNMI list of 12 countries, you will be issued what's called a "visa upon arrival" at the airport on Saipan. All you need are your valid machine-readable passport with at least 6 months before expiration, and a non-refundable onward/return ticket which shows you intend to depart Saipan, CNMI.

If you are on the list of 41 countries, then you will need to apply for ESTA. If your country is on the GUAM-CNMI list of 12 countries, then ESTA is NOT NEEDED!

CONCLUSION: If your country of passport is not on any of the above groups, then it is most likely that you need to apply for a visa for your trip to Saipan. (symbol: ) Contact the US embassy and/or consulate in your country of passport.

The Chart for "Do I need a visa for Saipan?"

If you are a citizen of, and/or traveling on the passport from the following country, here is the answer to that question:

Key:

	STOP! You need to apply for and get a visa BEFORE you can enter Saipan, Tinian or Rota.
	GO! You DO NOT need to apply for and get a visa BEFORE you can enter Saipan, Tinian or Rota.
	Countries with an asterisk(*) and this mark are also part of the GUAM-CNMI Visa Waiver program and travelers from/with these countries/passports do NOT need ESTA.

Flag	Short Name	Long Name	VISA REQUIRED?	Comment
	Afghanistan	Islamic Republic of Afghanistan		STOP! You need a visa
	Aland Islands	Åland Islands		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Albania	Republic of Albania		STOP! You need a visa
	Algeria	People's Democratic Republic of Algeria		STOP! You need a visa
	American Samoa	American Samoa		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Andorra	Principality of Andorra		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Angola	Republic of Angola		STOP! You need a visa
	Anguilla	Anguilla		STOP! You need a visa
	Antarctica	Antarctica		STOP! You need a visa
	Antigua and Barbuda	Antigua and Barbuda		STOP! You need a visa
	Argentina	Argentine Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Armenia	Republic of Armenia		STOP! You need a visa
	Aruba	Aruba		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Australia*	Commonwealth of Australia		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Austria	Republic of Austria		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Azerbaijan	Republic of Azerbaijan		STOP! You need a visa
	Bahamas	Commonwealth of The Bahamas		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Bahrain	Kingdom of Bahrain		STOP! You need a visa
	Bangladesh	People's Republic of Bangladesh		STOP! You need a visa
	Barbados	Barbados		STOP! You need a visa
	Belarus	Republic of Belarus		STOP! You need a visa
	Belgium	Kingdom of Belgium		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Belize	Belize		STOP! You need a visa
	Benin	Republic of Benin		STOP! You need a visa
	Bermuda	Bermuda Islands		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Bhutan	Kingdom of Bhutan		STOP! You need a visa
	Bolivia	Plurinational State of Bolivia		STOP! You need a visa
	Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba	Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Bosnia and Herzegovina	Bosnia and Herzegovina		STOP! You need a visa
	Botswana	Republic of Botswana		STOP! You need a visa
	Bouvet Island	Bouvet Island		STOP! You need a visa
	Brazil	Federative Republic of Brazil		STOP! You need a visa
	British Indian Ocean Territory	British Indian Ocean Territory		STOP! You need a visa
	Brunei*	Brunei Darussalam		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Bulgaria	Republic of Bulgaria		STOP! You need a visa
	Burkina Faso	Burkina Faso		STOP! You need a visa
	Burundi	Republic of Burundi		STOP! You need a visa
	Cambodia	Kingdom of Cambodia		STOP! You need a visa
	Cameroon	Republic of Cameroon		STOP! You need a visa
	Canada	Canada		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Cape Verde	Republic of Cape Verde		STOP! You need a visa
	Cayman Islands	The Cayman Islands		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Central African Republic	Central African Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Chad	Republic of Chad		STOP! You need a visa
	Chile	Republic of Chile		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	China	People's Republic of China		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Christmas Island	Christmas Island		STOP! You need a visa
	Cocos (Keeling) Islands	Cocos (Keeling) Islands		STOP! You need a visa
	Colombia	Republic of Colombia		STOP! You need a visa
	Comoros	Union of the Comoros		STOP! You need a visa
	Congo	Republic of the Congo		STOP! You need a visa
	Cook Islands	Cook Islands		STOP! You need a visa
	Costa Rica	Republic of Costa Rica		STOP! You need a visa
	Cote d'ivoire (Ivory Coast)	Republic of Côte D'Ivoire (Ivory Coast)		STOP! You need a visa
	Croatia	Republic of Croatia		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Cuba	Republic of Cuba		STOP! You need a visa
	Curacao	Curaçao		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Cyprus	Republic of Cyprus		STOP! You need a visa
	Czech Republic	Czech Republic		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Democratic Republic of the Congo	Democratic Republic of the Congo		STOP! You need a visa
	Denmark	Kingdom of Denmark		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Djibouti	Republic of Djibouti		STOP! You need a visa
	Dominica	Commonwealth of Dominica		STOP! You need a visa
	Dominican Republic	Dominican Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Ecuador	Republic of Ecuador		STOP! You need a visa
	Egypt	Arab Republic of Egypt		STOP! You need a visa
	El Salvador	Republic of El Salvador		STOP! You need a visa
	Equatorial Guinea	Republic of Equatorial Guinea		STOP! You need a visa
	Eritrea	State of Eritrea		STOP! You need a visa
	Estonia	Republic of Estonia		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Ethiopia	Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia		STOP! You need a visa
	Falkland Islands (Malvinas)	The Falkland Islands (Malvinas)		STOP! You need a visa
	Faroe Islands	The Faroe Islands		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Fiji	Republic of Fiji		STOP! You need a visa
	Finland	Republic of Finland		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	France	French Republic		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	French Guiana	French Guiana		STOP! You need a visa
	French Polynesia	French Polynesia		STOP! You need a visa
	French Southern Territories	French Southern Territories		STOP! You need a visa
	Gabon	Gabonese Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Gambia	Republic of The Gambia		STOP! You need a visa
	Georgia	Georgia		STOP! You need a visa
	Germany	Federal Republic of Germany		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Ghana	Republic of Ghana		STOP! You need a visa
	Gibraltar	Gibraltar		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Greece	Hellenic Republic		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Greenland	Greenland		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Grenada	Grenada		STOP! You need a visa
	Guadaloupe	Guadeloupe		STOP! You need a visa
	Guam	Guam		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Guatemala	Republic of Guatemala		STOP! You need a visa
	Guernsey	Guernsey		STOP! You need a visa
	Guinea	Republic of Guinea		STOP! You need a visa
	Guinea-Bissau	Republic of Guinea-Bissau		STOP! You need a visa
	Guyana	Co-operative Republic of Guyana		STOP! You need a visa
	Haiti	Republic of Haiti		STOP! You need a visa
	Heard Island and McDonald Islands	Heard Island and McDonald Islands		STOP! You need a visa
	Honduras	Republic of Honduras		STOP! You need a visa
	Hong Kong*	Hong Kong		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Hungary	Hungary		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Iceland	Republic of Iceland		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	India	Republic of India		STOP! You need a visa
	Indonesia	Republic of Indonesia		STOP! You need a visa
	Iran	Islamic Republic of Iran		STOP! You need a visa
	Iraq	Republic of Iraq		STOP! You need a visa
	Ireland	Ireland		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Isle of Man	Isle of Man		STOP! You need a visa
	Israel	State of Israel		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Italy	Italian Republic		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Jamaica	Jamaica		STOP! You need a visa
	Japan*	Japan		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Jersey	The Bailiwick of Jersey		STOP! You need a visa
	Jordan	Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan		STOP! You need a visa
	Kazakhstan	Republic of Kazakhstan		STOP! You need a visa
	Kenya	Republic of Kenya		STOP! You need a visa
	Kiribati	Republic of Kiribati		STOP! You need a visa
	Kosovo	Republic of Kosovo		STOP! You need a visa
	Kuwait	State of Kuwait		STOP! You need a visa
	Kyrgyzstan	Kyrgyz Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Laos	Lao People's Democratic Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Latvia	Republic of Latvia		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Lebanon	Republic of Lebanon		STOP! You need a visa
	Lesotho	Kingdom of Lesotho		STOP! You need a visa
	Liberia	Republic of Liberia		STOP! You need a visa
	Libya	Libya		STOP! You need a visa
	Liechtenstein	Principality of Liechtenstein		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Lithuania	Republic of Lithuania		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Luxembourg	Grand Duchy of Luxembourg		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Macao	The Macao Special Administrative Region		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Macedonia	The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia		STOP! You need a visa
	Madagascar	Republic of Madagascar		STOP! You need a visa
	Malawi	Republic of Malawi		STOP! You need a visa
	Malaysia*	Malaysia		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Maldives	Republic of Maldives		STOP! You need a visa
	Mali	Republic of Mali		STOP! You need a visa
	Malta	Republic of Malta		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Marshall Islands	Republic of the Marshall Islands		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Martinique	Martinique		STOP! You need a visa
	Mauritania	Islamic Republic of Mauritania		STOP! You need a visa
	Mauritius	Republic of Mauritius		STOP! You need a visa
	Mayotte	Mayotte		STOP! You need a visa
	Mexico	United Mexican States		STOP! You need a visa
	Micronesia	Federated States of Micronesia		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Moldava	Republic of Moldova		STOP! You need a visa
	Monaco	Principality of Monaco		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Mongolia	Mongolia		STOP! You need a visa
	Montenegro	Montenegro		STOP! You need a visa
	Montserrat	Montserrat		STOP! You need a visa
	Morocco	Kingdom of Morocco		STOP! You need a visa
	Mozambique	Republic of Mozambique		STOP! You need a visa
	Myanmar (Burma)	Republic of the Union of Myanmar		STOP! You need a visa
	Namibia	Republic of Namibia		STOP! You need a visa
	Nauru*	Republic of Nauru		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Nepal	Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal		STOP! You need a visa
	Netherlands	Kingdom of the Netherlands		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	New Caledonia	New Caledonia		STOP! You need a visa
	New Zealand*	New Zealand		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Nicaragua	Republic of Nicaragua		STOP! You need a visa
	Niger	Republic of Niger		STOP! You need a visa
	Nigeria	Federal Republic of Nigeria		STOP! You need a visa
	Niue	Niue		STOP! You need a visa
	Norfolk Island	Norfolk Island		STOP! You need a visa
	North Korea	Democratic People's Republic of Korea		STOP! You need a visa
	Norway	Kingdom of Norway		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Oman	Sultanate of Oman		STOP! You need a visa
	Pakistan	Islamic Republic of Pakistan		STOP! You need a visa
	Palau	Republic of Palau		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Palestine	State of Palestine (or Occupied Palestinian Territory)		STOP! You need a visa
	Panama	Republic of Panama		STOP! You need a visa
	Papua New Guinea*	Independent State of Papua New Guinea		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Paraguay	Republic of Paraguay		STOP! You need a visa
	Peru	Republic of Peru		STOP! You need a visa
	Phillipines	Republic of the Philippines		STOP! You need a visa
	Pitcairn	Pitcairn		STOP! You need a visa
	Poland	Republic of Poland		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Portugal	Portuguese Republic		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Puerto Rico	Commonwealth of Puerto Rico		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Qatar	State of Qatar		STOP! You need a visa
	Reunion	Réunion		STOP! You need a visa
	Romania	Romania		STOP! You need a visa
	Russia	Russian Federation		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Rwanda	Republic of Rwanda		STOP! You need a visa
	Saint Barthelemy	Saint Barthélemy		STOP! You need a visa
	Saint Helena	Saint Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha		STOP! You need a visa
	Saint Kitts and Nevis	Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis		STOP! You need a visa
	Saint Lucia	Saint Lucia		STOP! You need a visa
	Saint Martin	Saint Martin		STOP! You need a visa
	Saint Pierre and Miquelon	Saint Pierre and Miquelon		STOP! You need a visa
	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Saint Vincent and the Grenadines		STOP! You need a visa
	Samoa	Independent State of Samoa		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	San Marino	Republic of San Marino		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Sao Tome and Principe	Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe		STOP! You need a visa
	Saudi Arabia	Kingdom of Saudi Arabia		STOP! You need a visa
	Senegal	Republic of Senegal		STOP! You need a visa
	Serbia	Republic of Serbia		STOP! You need a visa
	Seychelles	Republic of Seychelles		STOP! You need a visa
	Sierra Leone	Republic of Sierra Leone		STOP! You need a visa
	Singapore*	Republic of Singapore		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Sint Maarten	Sint Maarten		STOP! You need a visa
	Slovakia	Slovak Republic		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Slovenia	Republic of Slovenia		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Solomon Islands	Solomon Islands		STOP! You need a visa
	Somalia	Somali Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	South Africa	Republic of South Africa		STOP! You need a visa
	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands	South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands		STOP! You need a visa
	South Korea*	Republic of Korea		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	South Sudan	Republic of South Sudan		STOP! You need a visa
	Spain	Kingdom of Spain		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Sri Lanka	Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka		STOP! You need a visa
	Sudan	Republic of the Sudan		STOP! You need a visa
	Suriname	Republic of Suriname		STOP! You need a visa
	Svalbard and Jan Mayen	Svalbard and Jan Mayen		STOP! You need a visa
	Swaziland	Kingdom of Swaziland		STOP! You need a visa
	Sweden	Kingdom of Sweden		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Switzerland	Swiss Confederation		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Syria	Syrian Arab Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Taiwan*	Republic of China (Taiwan)		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	Tajikistan	Republic of Tajikistan		STOP! You need a visa
	Tanzania	United Republic of Tanzania		STOP! You need a visa
	Thailand	Kingdom of Thailand		STOP! You need a visa
	Timor-Leste (East Timor)	Democratic Republic of Timor-Leste		STOP! You need a visa
	Togo	Togolese Republic		STOP! You need a visa
	Tokelau	Tokelau		STOP! You need a visa
	Tonga	Kingdom of Tonga		STOP! You need a visa
	Trinidad and Tobago	Republic of Trinidad and Tobago		STOP! You need a visa
	Tunisia	Republic of Tunisia		STOP! You need a visa
	Turkey	Republic of Turkey		STOP! You need a visa
	Turkmenistan	Turkmenistan		STOP! You need a visa
	Turks and Caicos Islands	Turks and Caicos Islands		STOP! You need a visa
	Tuvalu	Tuvalu		STOP! You need a visa
	Uganda	Republic of Uganda		STOP! You need a visa
	Ukraine	Ukraine		STOP! You need a visa
	United Arab Emirates	United Arab Emirates		STOP! You need a visa
	United Kingdom*	United Kingdom of Great Britain and Nothern Ireland		GO! You do NOT need a visa. You do NOT need ESTA.
	United States	United States of America		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Uruguay	Eastern Republic of Uruguay		STOP! You need a visa
	Uzbekistan	Republic of Uzbekistan		STOP! You need a visa
	Vanuatu	Republic of Vanuatu		STOP! You need a visa
	Vatican City	State of the Vatican City		STOP! You need a visa
	Venezuela	Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela		STOP! You need a visa
	Vietnam	Socialist Republic of Vietnam		STOP! You need a visa
	Virgin Islands, British	British Virgin Islands		GO! You do NOT need a visa
	Virgin Islands, US	Virgin Islands of the United States		STOP! You need a visa
	Wallis and Futuna	Wallis and Futuna		STOP! You need a visa
	Western Sahara	Western Sahara		STOP! You need a visa
	Yemen	Republic of Yemen		STOP! You need a visa
	Zambia	Republic of Zambia		STOP! You need a visa
	Zimbabwe	Republic of Zimbabwe		STOP! You need a visa

---

Another way to check

(Here is essentially the SAME information as it appears on the Wikipedia.org website)

STEP 1: Check if your country of passport is on this list of 41 countries (see "Eligible Countries") for which the visa requirement is waived (not needed). If your country is on this list, you DO NOT need a visa.

STEP 2: Check if your country of passport is on the list of 12 additional countries (See "Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program") that are part of the visa waiver program. If your country is on this list, you DO NOT need a visa.

Guam and Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program

In the neighboring U.S. territories of Guam and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI), both located in the western Pacific Ocean, the U.S. federal government has implemented a specific Guam-Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program. As insular areas of the United States, entry requirements for these territories are the same as any other U.S. destination. However, under this program, first enacted in October 1988 and periodically amended, nationals from several additional countries[37] in Asia and the Pacific islands are permitted to enter the Northern Marianas and Guam as tourists without a visa for up to 45 days (as of November 28, 2009). Travel is not permitted onwards to the mainland United States,[37] and because of special visa categories for the CNMI foreign workers, traveling between Guam and the CNMI still requires a full immigration inspection.

In addition to citizens from the 41 nations designated for the federal VWP, citizens of the following countries in possession of a machine readable passport and with completed Form I-736 (Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Information form) and Form I-94 (Arrival-Departure Record) may enter Guam and the CNMI visa-free for up to 45 days under the specific waiver program applying to the two U.S. territories:

Hong Kong (holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports, in conjunction with a Hong Kong permanent identity card)  Malaysia   Macao/Macau SAR Passport holders  Philippines  Nauru  Papua New Guinea  Taiwan, in conjunction with a ROC National Identification Card, only on non-stop flights from Taiwan Holders of British National (Overseas) passports, in conjunction with a Hong Kong permanent identity card

Despite not being included in the new Guam-CNMI visa waiver program, as part of a parole arrangement, Russian citizens in possession of a machine readable passport, a completed Form I-736 (Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Information form) and Form I-94 (Arrival-Departure Record) and a non-refundable and non-transferable return ticket can visit both Guam and the Northern Mariana Islands visa-free for up to 45 days.[40]

Also, as part of another parole arrangement, Chinese citizens in possession of a machine readable passport, completed Form I-736 (Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver Information form) and Form I-94 (Arrival-Departure Record) may enter the CNMI only visa-free for up to 45 days (travel to Guam still requires applying for a visa in advance).

The Northern Mariana Islands had previously been a separate jurisdiction from the United States in terms of immigration control. Under a federalization law passed by the U.S. Congress in 2008, the Northern Marianas' immigration functions were taken over by United States Department of Homeland Security agencies on November 28, 2009. The present Guam-Northern Mariana Islands Visa Waiver Program took effect at that time, replacing previous Northern Marianas' legislation governing entry to the islands and also replacing a previous Guam-specific Visa Waiver Program. That program had included the aforementioned countries as well as Indonesia, Samoa, Vanuatu, and the Soloman Islands, though these countries were removed from the list of eligible nations for the new program.

In the past, the government of the Northern Mariana Islands had issued Visitor Entry Permits (VEP) instead of visas. Citizens of all countries in the federal visa waiver program were exempt from the VEP requirement, as were citizens of Taiwan and holders of Hong Kong Special Administrative Region passports and British National (Overseas) passports.[43][44][45] Under the islands' previous immigration policy, citizens of the following countries or jurisdictions were prohibited from entering the CNMI: Afghanistan, Algeria, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Cuba, Egypt, Eritrea, Fujian Province of China, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Myanmar, North Korea, Oman, Pakistan, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates and Yemen.