Business travel to the United States for European company
score:3
do we need specific visas to be employed by our European company but work short-term in the USA?
It depends...
The Visa waiver program allows citizens or nationals of participating countries (and Germany is one of the participating countries) to travel to the United States for business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
You will be allowed to conduct temporary business for the purposes allowed on a B-1 business visitor visa (without having to apply for that visa).
So far so good!
Official online resources such as this and this only show a few examples of what is allowed on a B-1 visa i.e. "consult with business associates" and "negotiate a contract" , Wikipedia lists a lot more examples but nowhere does it really explain exactly when conducting such temporary business becomes an unauthorized work activity which is no longer allowed under the visa waiver program and for which you will require a visa or (temporary) work permit...
Is the purpose of your business trip one of the commonly allowed business activities found in the examples above? Then you're good under the visa waiver program and you can give an honest answer to immigration officials that you're traveling for business without risking having your entry denied.
If you're intended business is not allowed under visa waiver program, then yes, you will need to apply for a visa.
After the OP's edit and comments:
The purpose of the trip is a risk assessment in the Client's plant, which amounts in layman terms to 4 weeks of business meetings.
That appears permissible under the visa waiver program.
Upvote:-2
Yes, you can!
What you will be looking for would be a B-1 in lieu of H-1B exception:
This exception applies to otherwise-qualified applicants who seek to enter the US to perform professional services. These would-be entrants are not allowed to receive remuneration from a US source (other than an expense allowance or reimburs*m*nt) and must be customarily employed by a non-US firm that will continue to pay their salary during the temporary assignment in the US. This provision is referred to as the ‘B-1 in lieu of H-1B’ exception, and is often used by consultants of all varieties who travel to the US to perform short-term professional services on behalf of their UK employers. Although in a May 13, 2011 letter to a US Senator the Department of State indicated that it plans to revoke or at least ‘substantially amend’ the regulation that establishes the B-1 in lieu of H-1B visa, for the time being the visa is still available.
You can find a longer discussion of the details on https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B_visa_in_lieu_of_other_visas#B-1_in_lieu_of_H-1B and lots of US immigration laywer websites.
Please note that qualified applicants means qualified for Visa Waiver as opposed to qualified to do their job. This is easy to misunderstand.
Note that it is extremely important that you will not get get paid by the US company but by your home company for the work you will be performing in the US.
More post
- 📝 Attending a church conference in USA
- 📝 Facilities around the Loony Dook
- 📝 Consequences of travelling to Iran
- 📝 Schengen Visa: Can I use a recently owned property as a proof of strong ties to host country?
- 📝 CBX crossing TIJUANA - SAN DIEGO
- 📝 Can I transfer my UK visa after a change of citizenship?
- 📝 Do I need a transit visa at Hong Kong Airport?
- 📝 Hard copy travel guides with information on Tohoku post-tsunami
- 📝 Chania port to Chania city
- 📝 Do Asians generally want a tourist/visitor to "act Asian", or "be different"?
- 📝 Israel visa stamp issue
- 📝 UK family permit. Why weren't the original documents accepted?
- 📝 Can I renew my US passport by mail while I'm outside the country?
- 📝 Can I travel on other forms of U.S. identification traveling from US to BVI and back?
- 📝 Is there any way that I can cancel UK visa Ban?
- 📝 How can I book the Phuket to Railay ferry with airport pick-up from HKT?
- 📝 Tropical islands, Berlin, Germany. Inflatable "toys"?
- 📝 Am I eligable for another visa after my Working Holiday Visa expires, if i am employed? (Canadian citizen working in the Netherlands)
- 📝 How can I get from Marrakech to Kasbah Du Toubkal?
- 📝 Manchester to Sheffield and back in a single day
- 📝 Layover in San Francisco
- 📝 Do I need a visa to change planes in India?
- 📝 Buying tickets (1 Single and 2 Return tickets) from London to Delhi
- 📝 Could I have found this flight plan without knowing to look for it?
- 📝 Cuban currency exchange - ATM vs exchange office
- 📝 Are bus tickets valid proof of internal transit within the Schengen territory?
- 📝 Can we bring lavender wands from the US to the UK and back again?
- 📝 Difference between residence permit and common format residence permit
- 📝 Belgium to Spain road trip through France next week. What should I be aware of considering the riots and rumours of impending revolution?
- 📝 Chinese visa in Hong Kong without hotel bookings and return flight?
Source: stackoverflow.com
Search Posts
Related post
- 📝 Business travel to the United States for European company
- 📝 Entry quarantine for entering the United States
- 📝 Can I travel to the UK for business on a C visit visa?
- 📝 Can I travel domestically within the United States with my USA expired passport?
- 📝 I want to travel to the Schengen area for business and take my family with me. Can we apply for a visa together?
- 📝 Is the United States an exception in not having customs/immigration formalities for departing passengers?
- 📝 Can I use a US Business visa obtained while working from one company to travel for another?
- 📝 Can I travel to the US for a business trip with a visitor visa?
- 📝 What visa do I need to travel to the United States (Texas)
- 📝 It is possible to travel to the United States with a dog (from Brazil)?
- 📝 Can I still travel to the United States with a valid B1/B2 visa on my Syrian passport?
- 📝 Is a Hong Kong SAR passport holder, with a USA working visa (L-1), and an APEC Business Travel card, eligible to apply for the Global Entry Program?
- 📝 Can I travel to the Netherlands for tourism with a business visa?
- 📝 Blank passport pages required for B2 visa to the United States
- 📝 What exactly are entry restrictions by mode of travel for citizens entering the United States?
- 📝 Is it common practice for customs agents to see travel funds before allowing me to board for trip to United States
- 📝 Traveling to the United States a year after getting a tourist Visa (B2) which is valid for 5 years
- 📝 Required documentation for travelling to the United States from Canada?
- 📝 applying for UK visa after attempting an overstay in the united states
- 📝 What personal details are passengers required to provide for travel to or via the United States?
- 📝 Indian passport: Travel to Australia from the United States
- 📝 How can one travel to South Africa after previously having been banned for an overstay, after the ban has expired?
- 📝 Travelling to the US for paid business (UK citizens) - Is a visa required or is an ESTA sufficient
- 📝 Want to enter the United States through Visa Waiver Program but consulate-issued ePassport doesn't have a chip
- 📝 Can I drive in the United States with a Sri Lankan driver's license?
- 📝 I'm an employed cinematographer for a UK business, can i travel to the US to shoot videos on an ESTA?
- 📝 Using Chinese M Business visa when now working for a different company
- 📝 How exactly is the delay time calculated for the purposes of EU air travel compensation?
- 📝 Where should I get travel insurance for a Chinese student in Australia travelling to the USA and then travelling to China?
- 📝 Where can I see the European car tolls for the route?