Visa Free Travel: US Citizens vs. Green Card Holders
Updated: Feb 2020
Are you a US Permanent Residentand someone who loves to travel? If you have been wondering whether to take US Citizenship or not and whether it makes any difference in terms of how many countries you can travel “Visa Free”, then this blog post is for you.
Visa free travel is a big plus when it comes to traveling efficiently. Not having to deal with travel visa saves you money, planning-time, and paperwork. In short, fewer headaches and you can travel on short notice.
Let’s say you are getting a great airline deal or there is a wedding or it’s just that all of your friends are planning a trip, having a US Green Card vs. a US Passport are two totally different things.
Below is the list of countries that lets you enter visa free or provides you a visa on arrival (on the airport) based on your citizen or US permanent residence status.
US Citizens
US Green Card
Canada
Canada
Mexico
Mexico
Guatemala
Guatemala
Honduras
Honduras
Belize
Belize
Nicaragua
Nicaragua
Costa Rica
Costa Rica
Panama
Panama
Bermuda
Bermuda
Bahamas
Bahamas
Cayman Islands
Cayman Islands
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico
American Samoa
American Samoa
Guam
Guam
Northern Mariana Islands
Northern Mariana Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands
U.S. Virgin Islands
British Virgin Island
British Virgin Island
Dominican Republic
Dominican Republic
Haiti
Haiti
Jamaica
Jamaica
Antigua and Barbuda
Antigua and Barbuda
Turks and Caicos
Turks and Caicos
Dominica
Dominica
Aruba
Aruba
Curacao
Curacao
Bonaire
Bonaire
St. Maarten
St. Maarten
St. Eustatius
St. Eustatius
Saba
Saba
Albania
Albania
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Georgia
Georgia
Serbia
Serbia
Montenegro
Montenegro
Kosovo
Kosovo
Taiwan
Taiwan
Antartica
Antartica
With a US Passport, you can also travel Visa Free to:
Andorra
Anguilla
Antigua & Barbuda
Argentina
Armenia
Austria
Azerbaijan
Bahrain
Bangladesh
Barbados
Belgium
Bolivia
Botswana
Brunei
Bulgaria
Cambodia
Chile
Comoros Islands
Cook Islands
Cote d’Ivoire (Ivory Coast)
Croatia
Cuba
Cyprus
Czech Republic
Denmark
Djibouti
Dominica
Ecuador
Egypt
Equatorial Guinea
Eritrea
Ethiopia
Faroe Islands
Federated States of Micronesia
Fiji
Finland
France
French Guiana
French Polynesia
Germany
Gibraltar
Greece
Greenland
Grenada
Guyana
Hong Kong
Hungary
Iceland
Indonesia
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Jordan
Kenya
Kuwait
Kyrgyzstan
Laos
Latvia
Lebanon
Lesotho
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Macau
Macedonia
Malawi
Malaysia
Malta
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Moldova
Monaco
Mongolia
Montserrat
Morocco
Namibia
Nepal
Netherlands
New Caledonia
New Zealand
Nicaragua
Niue
Norway
Oman
Palau
Peru
Philippines
Poland
Portugal
Qatar
Reunion Island
Romania
Rwanda
Samoa
San Marino
Senegal
Seychelles
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
Solomon Islands
South Africa
South Korea
Spain
Sri Lanka
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent and the Grenadines
Swaziland
Sweden
Switzerland
Tanzania
Thailand
Timor Leste
Togo
Tonga
Trinidad & Tobago
Tunisia
Turkey
Tuvalu
Uganda
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela
Vietnam
Yemen
Zambia
Zimbabwe
Lastly, I must mention that besides your Green Card status, your home country passport will also avail you some visa free travel benefits.
For example, if you are an Indian Citizen and a US Permanent Resident, besides the above-listed countries, you also get to visit over 50 countries based on your passport power.
Common Question
Question: Can I travel to [XYZ destination] with a Green Card only?
Answer: If you are wondering if you can travel to Canada or Mexico with a Green Card only, unfortunately the answer is you will still need your passport if you are traveling by air. If you are driving through, legally you only need your Green Card but it’s a good practice to carry your passport as well.
