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Guam (United States territory) · short term business

Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver / G-CNMI eTA

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Separate U.S. visa waiver for eligible visitors staying only in Guam or the CNMI for up to 45 days, with advance G-CNMI eTA approval.

No sponsorship requiredDoes not lead to permanent residencyAdmission is for no more than 45 days. Travel authorisation is generally valid for up to two years or passport expiry, with earlier passport-validity limits for some issuing countries. It does not grant a two-year stay. Ordinary extension and change of nonimmigrant status are unavailable; narrow statutory exceptions and discretionary emergency satisfactory-departure rules are separate.In flux
Processing time
Obtain approved G-CNMI eTA before boarding a participating carrier. DHS recommends applying before buying travel or at least five days before departure; this is planning guidance, not a guaranteed decision time. CBP makes the final admission decision on arrival.
Government fees
DHS introduced G-CNMI eTA without an application fee; the current CBP application portal shows submission without an ESTA payment stage. The national ESTA USD 40.62 charge is a different programme. Check the official portal for any future charge and distinguish optional third-party service charges from a government fee.
Typical duration
Admission is for no more than 45 days. Travel authorisation is generally valid for up to two years or passport expiry, with earlier passport-validity limits for some issuing countries. It does not grant a two-year stay. Ordinary extension and change of nonimmigrant status are unavailable; narrow statutory exceptions and discretionary emergency satisfactory-departure rules are separate.
Sponsorship required
No
Leads to permanent residency
No
Reviewed Office of the Federal Register / DHS ↗

In short

As of 14 November 2026, the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver / G-CNMI eTA for Guam (United States territory) is an unsponsored Guam immigration route. Sources: official Guam (United States territory) government pages, reviewed 14 November 2026.

Cite this: https://visaatlas.org/visas/guam/guam-cnmi-visa-waiver#answer

What is the Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver / G-CNMI eTA in Guam (United States territory)?

Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver / G-CNMI eTA is an unsponsored Guam route. Indicative government fees are DHS introduced G-CNMI eTA without an application fee; the current CBP application portal shows submission without an ESTA payment stage. The national ESTA USD 40.62 charge is a different programme. Check the official portal for any future charge and distinguish optional third-party service charges from a government fee; indicative processing time is Obtain approved G-CNMI eTA before boarding a participating carrier. DHS recommends applying before buying travel or at least five days before departure; this is planning guidance, not a guaranteed decision time. CBP makes the final admission decision on arrival; typical duration is Admission is for no more than 45 days. Travel authorisation is generally valid for up to two years or passport expiry, with earlier passport-validity limits for some issuing countries. It does not grant a two-year stay. Ordinary extension and change of nonimmigrant status are unavailable; narrow statutory exceptions and discretionary emergency satisfactory-departure rules are separate. This route does not lead to permanent residence.

Verified against Office of the Federal Register / DHS on 14 November 2026.

Overview

This existing U.S. programme is newly covered on this website. It differs from the national Visa Waiver Program: eligible visitors obtain G-CNMI eTA, stay only in Guam or the CNMI, and meet the programme passport, carrier, ticket and admissibility rules. Participating nationalities are Australia, Brunei, Japan, Malaysia, Nauru, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, South Korea, Singapore and the United Kingdom; qualifying Hong Kong and Taiwan travellers have additional document and itinerary conditions. Approval permits travel to seek admission, not a guaranteed entry or employment right.

Additional sources

Eligibility

Typical criteria

  • ✓Hold a qualifying passport, meet the programme admissibility/history conditions, use a signatory carrier and hold a confirmed qualifying departure ticket within 45 days.Office of the Federal Register / DHS ↗
  • ✓Hong Kong eligibility requires an HKSAR or BN(O) passport together with a Hong Kong identity card.Office of the Federal Register / DHS ↗
  • ✓Taiwan eligibility requires Taiwan residence, a national identity card and qualifying passport/re-entry documentation, beginning travel in Taiwan on the direct routing specified by 8 CFR 212.1(q)(2)(ii)(B).Office of the Federal Register / DHS ↗
  • ✓Obtain the electronic authorisation before boarding; understand the programme waiver of review/removal-contest rights and its limited protection exceptions.Office of the Federal Register / DHS ↗

Common blockers

Typical evidence

Application pathway

  1. Check the route fit

    Check the nationality/document rules and confirm that the complete itinerary fits Guam/CNMI-only travel.

  2. Build the evidence pack

    Apply through the official G-CNMI eTA portal early enough to receive approval before boarding.

  3. Submit through the official channel

    Carry the matching passport, additional identity documents and ticket/visit evidence for carrier and CBP checks.

  4. After approval

    Check the actual admission record, stay within the admitted conditions and leave before the authorised period ends.

After approval: prepare for your next step

For Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver / G-CNMI eTA, use the actual decision and the issuing authority’s instructions to establish what has been granted. A successful application, permission to enter, permission to work and a residence document are not interchangeable.

  1. 1. Check the decision. Confirm the name, passport, status granted, start date and any next action. Resolve an error with the authority before relying on the document for travel or employment.
  2. 2. Establish the travel step. Read any entry window, activation, collection or in-country registration instruction. For an extension or change of status, do not assume leaving the country is required or safe while a further step remains pending.
  3. 3. Confirm what you may do. Check whether employment, self-employment, remote work or study is permitted under the status granted. Do not infer unrestricted work rights from the absence of an employer sponsor.
  4. 4. Organise the household. Check each accompanying person’s permission separately, then arrange healthcare, accommodation, access to money and the relevant local registrations. A tax number or bank account does not by itself prove a right to work.
  5. 5. Keep the ongoing conditions visible. Record the actual expiry, renewal process, permitted absences and any duty to report changes. An initial grant does not automatically establish permanent residence or citizenship.
Official Guam-CNMI Visa Waiver / G-CNMI eTA instructionsBuild my moving plan for this routeMoving to Guam

Plan the practical side of your stay

Once you have checked the official route, you can prepare for day-to-day life in Guam. These optional services are separate from the application and do not establish visa eligibility.

Official application links

Where to actually go next

Government links only

These are the official pages to use for this route. Open them before preparing documents: the forms, fees, appointment systems, and sponsor steps can change without warning.

  1. ChecklistApplicant
    Read the current programme regulations ↗

    Use paragraph (q) for eligible documents, 45-day visits and restricted rights.

    Office of the Federal Register / DHS · verified

  2. ApplyApplicant
    Open official G-CNMI eTA ↗

    Use this CBP portal for the restricted Guam/CNMI programme, rather than the national ESTA application.

    U.S. Customs and Border Protection · verified

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Frequently asked questions

Can I use this authorisation to fly on to Hawaii or the mainland?+

The programme is for a stay solely in Guam or the CNMI. Check a U.S. visa or national VWP/ESTA route for travel elsewhere; the restricted authorisation alone is insufficient.

Does a mainland Chinese passport qualify?+

It is not included in this programme list. The separate CNMI-only EVS-TAP arrangement was suspended from 30 October 2026 and did not permit entry to Guam. Do not confuse that arrangement with qualifying Hong Kong documents.

Is the two-year authorisation a residence permit?+

No. Each qualifying admission is capped at 45 days and remains subject to CBP inspection. It gives no local employment or permanent-residence entitlement.

Need tailored advice?

We do not provide legal advice. For an application that depends on your exact circumstances, consult a regulator-listed immigration advisor.

Find a regulated advisor in Guam

How we verified this

We check every figure on this page against the primary government source, record the date it was last checked, and re-check it on a regular schedule. Rules change, so always confirm time-sensitive details with the official source before you rely on them. Visa Atlas is an information-only publication and does not give legal advice.

Primary source: Office of the Federal Register / DHS

Last checked: 14 November 2026

See the full evidence trail and methodology

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