This would be available on the INS site but as I recall there are countries that up till now have had visa waiver policies, I think that the UK, NZ, OZ and other european countries would count.

http://www.immigration.gov/.../howdoi/legadmit.htm

See if you are on the list, there are exceptions to the visa waiver i.e. my parents both travel on British passports but my mum needs a visa and my dad does not because she changed nationality so you need to make sure you know what you're doing but, all the info's there.

As far as I know you always need at least a tourist visa, but for many countries(eg UK) you could get one on entry, for the others you had to get one before you travelled.

If you are on a NZ passport you just come in on the Visa waiver program as long as you are coming in for under 45 days. They will give you the form (the green one) on the plane.

Cheers,
dt.
(NZ passport and travels to NY several times a year).

NZ is a participant in the Visa Waiver program; you can enter the US as a visitor without a visa for up to 90 days; no extensions or change of status are allowed. Nothing has changed as of now, even as the INS has been folded into the new Department of Homeland Security and become the Bureau of Citizenship & Immigration Services.

Romy Kapoor

Triathlete and U.S. Immigration Attorney