Do I need a visa for layover flights (airlines, airports, trip)

[Cottonkandy26]

I want to go to the bahamas soon and the day i want to go only has layover flights from kingston to miami to nassau.... and I am not a us citizen and i dont have a us visa. the bahamas trip is for valentines day and I want to know if I will have any problems with a layover flight in the us.
I am a jamaican citizen


please help.

thanks

[mikeyyc]

Usually a visa is only required if you're leaving the airport.

[oregonwoodsmoke]

Without a visa, you can't get through immigration to leave the airport. As long as you stay in the airport, it isn't an issue.

I suggest that you get yourself a tourist visa if the layover is long enough to leave the airport and look around. Usually, there is not enough time between flights to make it worth leaving the airport and going through the hassle of getting back into the airport through security.

[flyonpa]

Very Few US airports have International Transit Lounge.

MIA has (or had) one for American Airlines (AA) flights years ago, Not sure if its still there. I would check with the airline your are flying to and from MIA to see how that handle International to International, Flight,

Most US carrier make you clean customs/immigrations in MIA, so you would go out of MIA as a domestic flight.

You should contact the US embassy in Jamaica to see what the requirement are for a Transit Visa.

General Information | Embassy of the United States Kingston, Jamaica

[FlyMIA]

You NEED VISA. Even if you don't leave the airport you NEED A TRANSIT VISA if it is required for Jamaicans to go to the U.S.

The U.S. does NOT have international transit lounges anymore. No airport in the U.S. has one and U.S. law not the airlines decide the procedure. You will go through U.S. immigration and customs. Also if you are flying NAS-MIA-KIN you will go through U.S. immigration and customs IN the Bahamas so you will be arriving in the U.S. as if it was a domestic flight. Again you NEED a transit visa if it is required for Jamaicans.

Just fly through another country or non-stop on Caribbean airlines.