Questions on the 90 day Visa

mt101

Hi,
I'd like some help if possible. I will be flying to the L.A mid November, i plan to stay for 2 weeks then travel south into mexico and central america. I also plan to come back to l.a ,stay a week and then fly back to Ireland mid April. This is obviously over the 90 days but of course I will have spent most of the time outside of the U.S.
Could anyone tell me if i will have a problem entering the states with a return flight that is outside of the 90 days?
I will have no problem proving i will be returning to Ireland for self employed work etc but as yet I have no flights booked within central america as I dont really have a plan. Any definitive answers very much appreciated I cant find the answer online.
Thanks!
tom

BuffyBot

It's not a visa, but permission to enter for 90 days without one, to be pedantic

Generally, entering Mexico alone etc and returning won't count as a reset of the 90 days. However because you're going onwards and doing more travel down into it should be ok. However, expect that you may be asked questions about what you've been up to, what your plans are, onward travel etc. That's why having flights booked, and copies of the bookings etc help as it shows you are/were a genuine traveller.

mt101

Ah I see, that makes sense. thanks for clearing that up. I plan on buying a car and driving most of the trip so i dont really know what i will be able to provide in the way of internal flights in central america but hopefully if questioned I will be able to convince them I am genuine! thanks for your help

silja

I agree with Buffybot, you shouldn't have major issues with US immigration.
However, you may have trouble with your plan of buying a car, at least if you plan on doing so in the USA- many places will require a US drivers license and proof of insurance.

Trippie

silja wrote: »

I agree with Buffybot, you shouldn't have major issues with US immigration.
However, you may have trouble with your plan of buying a car, at least if you plan on doing so in the USA- many places will require a US drivers license and proof of insurance.

have a look on craiglist, got mine there and transferred the title over with my old international drivers license

ProudDUB

OP, you won't have a hard time buying a car on a foreign license, but you will have when you go to insure it. If I were you, I'd look into the insurance situ before I plan this any further.

US Insurance companies have access to US drivers driving records/history & insurance claims/accident history via their US drivers license and/or social security numbers. You won't have those. They will base the quote that they give you on that. If you don't have a US license they can not do that, so they not offer you insurance. They have no way of tracking down your Irish record or insurance claims history, as currently there is no system in place for countries to share that information with each other.

When I moved back to Ireland from the US, I brought paperwork from my states Dept of Transport showing my clean driving record, and paperwork from my insurance companies showing no claims on it going back 10 years. Allianz then gave me a kick ass deal on insurance, as I was able to prove that I was a low risk driver.

I am not sure if you'd be able to do the same in the US. If you can, it will be up to you to do all the leg work in getting all the documentation required. The US insurance company won't and can't do it for you.

mt101

thats a great heads up. thanks a lot. I will only be in the states 2 weeks max and then central america so I guess i need to check out if it would even cover me for that!

ProudDUB

Yeah, I have no idea how strict South American countries are about having insurance and all your paperwork in order, but they don't mess around with it in the US. If you get pulled over, and anything looks out of order without your paperwork, you can get arrested & your car seized and impounded. I know people with no/lapsed/expired etc car tags/tax/insurance who it has happened to. There is none of the "off ye go, but swing by your local Garda station with your paperwork within 10 days, and 'twill all will be grand" leniency that goes on here.

giles lynchwood

Having lived in central america for two years,I can tell you bringing a car on a trip like yours is a complete nightmare,from Honduras on, expect up to 7 hours to clear immigration and pay bribes at every crossing.Driving cross country in any central american country you are at the mercy of the Transitos (traffic police)who are notorious for demanding bribes from travellers like yourself,no matter what, you will always be in breach of some traffic law and there are so many you must be aware of,in Nicaragua for example every car must carry a red triangle and fire extinguisher,this is just one of many.
I would suggest you have a look at Tica Bus online,they run luxury air con coaches from Mexico to Panama through all CA countries and you can jump on jump off as you please.they handle all immigration detail's at each crossing for you and make your journey a lot more pleasent.

mt101

thanks for that advice, my whole trip is for surfing so really i dont think its going to be possible without my own transport. i looked at the bus option but it wont get me to out of the way places i'll want to get to for waves. I guess i just need to be as prepared as possible and also sounds like i need a lot of luck!

giles lynchwood

Check out San Juan Del Sur on the pacific cost in Nicaragua,there are some good cheap hostel's aimed at surfer's with great beaches with the best waves within driving distance.A real surfers paradise.

InTheTrees

Just be really careful. Its not like a jolly road trip through spain. The level of violence in mexico alone is enough to make belfast at its peak look like sunday school.