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I am visiting Florida from UK on an ESTA and have mistakenly booked return flights 92 days after arrival.

Is there an easy trip to make to a nearby country which will allow me back to Florida and stay till the 92 days and catch these flights?

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    If you don't know, trips to Mexico, Canada and "nearby islands" don't reset the 90-day counter, so you'll need to travel a bit further...
    – jcaron
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 15:28
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    Are you already in the US? If not, you can apply for a B-2 visa, which will allow the 92-day stay. It's $180, so maybe cheaper than rebooking your return flight.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 15:58
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    @Crazydre true, but for most British tourists visiting Florida, there won't be any trouble getting a visa and the risk of refusal will be vanishingly low.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 16:06
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    that's a hell of a mistake. the simple answer is you need to (suck up the change fees and) change the return date.
    – Fattie
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 19:55
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    @JoeBlow I highly doubt that a British citizen who can afford a 92-day vacation in Florida would encounter much difficulty getting a B-2.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 20:54

1 Answer 1

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Unfortunately you made a pretty bad mistake. Firstly you'll have to go at least as far as Guatemala to restore the clock, and secondly when returning to the US so soon after such a long visit (even if only to catch a connecting flight home) the immigration officers will highly likely assume you're trying to live in the US. And if they make that assumption, it is fully up to you to convince them otherwise, which will be hard.

Have your boarding pass/flight confirmation back home+documentation proving ties to the UK ready for this, and even then there is no guarantee. Once deemed inadmissible, you'll never get in visa-free again.

If at all possible, I would seriously re-book the flight home.

Another option would be getting a B2 visa, which usually allows for multiple entries within 10 years, with a 6-month leave being given on each entry. However, be warned that, although a granted visa would solve the problem, you will be placed under closer scrutiny by the embassy than by the CBP if travelling visa-free, and if you're ever denied a visa, you can never enter visa-free again and will have a harder time obtaining a visa in the future.

As pointed out by Dorothy, in all likelihood it'll be cheapest and easiest to just modify your ticket.

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    How do determine needing to go as far as Guatemala?
    – Peter M
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 16:06
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    @PeterM Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean Islands don't restore the clock, hence Guatemala
    – Crazydre
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 16:15
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    That's a good answer and +1 but it would greatly benefit from citing some source for the countries that do or don't reset the "clock".
    – mts
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 16:51
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    @MichaelHampton excellent; why don't you take my list and the US code and make it into an answer?
    – Giorgio
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 18:26
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    @Dorothy I think I've answered this question too many times already.
    – Michael Hampton
    Commented Sep 24, 2016 at 18:34

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