United States

General Information
Business Hours
Business & social hints
Climate
Customs
Health
Immigration & Passport
Useful Contacts

General Information

Capital City:: Washington, D.C.
Population:: 311.47 million
Area:: 3,717,800 square miles
Language:: English
Electricity:: 110/120V AC 60Hz
Direct Dial:: 1
Driving:: Driving is on the right. National licence required. International Driving Permit required if licence is not issued in Roman alphabet (valid for 1 year only)
Currency:: US Dollar (USD 1 = 100 Cents)

Business Hours

Office:: 0900-1730 Mon-Fri
Shops:: 0930-1800 Mon-Sat, 1200-1800 Sun, 0930-2100 (shopping centres)
Public Holidays:: 2012 01 Jan : New Year's Day 16 Jan : Martin Luther King Day 20 Feb : Presidents' Day 28 May : Memorial Day 04 Jul : Independence Day 03 Sep : Labor Day 08 Oct : Columbus Day 11 Nov : Veterans' Day 22 Nov : Thanksgiving Day 25 Dec : Christmas Day

Business and social hints

General:: Business is conducted in English, not many executives speak a second language. Smoking generally accepted but restricted in most public buildings and on public transport. Many restaurants have smoking and no smoking areas. Drinking laws in the different states and towns often vary. On social occasions, eg invitation to restaurants, punctuality is appreciated. Dress as for business meetings unless otherwise indicated. The minimum drinking age is 21 years in most US states
Tipping:: Around 15% is customary, unless a service charge is included
Clothing:: Dependent on area but generally mediumweights with warm topcoat for winter with lighter clothes for South and Hawaii. Lightweights for summer with mediumweights for Alaska and some northern areas
Emergency Services:: Police, Fire & Ambulance: 911
Hotel Classification:: There is no official hotel classification system in the USA. The American Automobile Association (AAA) operates a voluntary scheme similar to that used by our own AA/RAC. This awards diamonds on a scale from 1 up to 5. AAA gradings are very strict and are usually equivalent to the next highest category (so a 3-diamond hotel is probably equivalent to a normal 4 star). Where properties subscribe to AAA, their diamond ratings are given here. Otherwise our usual arbitrary categories of ï¿½ up to ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ are given based on rack rates, facilities and perceived quality. These equate to the 1- to 5-star system and serve only to compare relative standards within any given area.

Due to the large size of the country, there are nine general climatic regions: a) North Eastern States: Very cold winters with heavy snow, hot summers with high humidity. Moderate rainfall throughout the year. b) Southern Atlantic States: South has an almost tropical climate generally warm all year and humid in summer. The north is cooler in winter with occasional snow. Florida is greatly affected by thunderstorms particularly in summer. Hurricanes can be a hazard between Jul-Oct. c) Mid-West: Winters are cold with heavy snow in the north. Summers are warm with occasional heatwaves and drought. Rainfall is heavier in the east. d) Southern and Gulf States: Occasional cold spells in winter but less prolonged. Summers are warm with most rain in the east. Hurricanes and tornados are a hazard. e) Rocky Mountains: Winter is cooler and wetter in the north with snow in the higher regions. Summers are warm or hot particularly in the south. f) Pacific North West: Winters are mild and wet, summers are generally warm but with fog on the coast. g) California: Mild, wet winters and warm or hot summers with very little rain. Los Angeles is affected by smog. h) Alaska: Very long and severe winters with heavy snow and wind-chill hazard. Summers are cool on the coast, milder inland with moderate rainfall. i) Hawaiian Islands: Tropical oceanic climate warm throughout the year. Certain parts of the islands can be very wet. Occasionally affected by tropical cyclones May-Nov

Honolulu (Hawaii)

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum Temperature °C	24	24	25	26	27	27	28	28	28	28	27	26
Minimum Temperature °C	21	19	19	20	21	22	23	23	23	22	21	21
Average Humidity (mornings) %	75	75	73	69	69	69	70	71	71	73	74	75
Average Humidity (afternoons) %	66	67	65	64	64	63	63	64	65	66	67	68
Average Rainfall	104	66	79	48	25	18	23	28	36	48	64	104

Los Angeles (California)

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum Temperature °C	18	19	19	21	22	24	27	28	27	24	23	19
Minimum Temperature °C	8	8	9	10	12	13	16	16	14	12	10	8
Average Humidity (mornings) %	67	74	77	82	86	87	88	87	82	75	62	60
Average Humidity (afternoons) %	47	53	51	55	59	58	55	54	52	49	38	44
Average Rainfall	79	76	71	25	10	3	0	0	5	15	31	66

New York (New York State)

	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec
Maximum Temperature °C	3	3	7	14	20	25	28	27	26	21	11	5
Minimum Temperature °C	-4	-4	-1	6	12	16	19	19	16	9	3	-2
Average Humidity (mornings) %	72	70	70	68	70	74	77	79	79	76	75	73
Average Humidity (afternoons) %	60	58	55	53	54	58	58	60	61	57	60	61
Average Rainfall	94	97	91	81	81	84	107	109	86	89	76	91

Import Allowances:: 1) Residents: a) Returning residents of the United States up to USD 800 worth of articles acquired abroad provided their stay abroad was at least 48 hours and their duty-free exemption was not used in the preceding 30 days b) For arrivals directly from American Samoa, Guam & U.S. Virgin Islands up to USD 1,600 (not more than USD 800 of which may be acquired elsewhere than in these islands) The duty-free allowance may include the following maximum quantities: a) 1,000 cigarettes (not more than 200 of which shall have been acquired elsewhere than in American Samoa, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands, for residents returning from other countries 200 cigarettes a reasonable quantity of tobacco and 100 cigars b) For persons of 21 years or older; 1 lit of alcoholic beverage (for arrivals from American Samoa, Guam and U.S. Virgin Islands, 5 lit not more than 1 lit of which may be acquired elsewhere than on these islands) c) Perfumes, lotions, Eau de Cologne if not under a trade mark restriction recorded in the United States Treasury Dept 2) Non-residents: a) For persons of 21 years of age or older; 200 cigarettes or 50 cigars or 2kg of tobacco or a combination of proportionate parts b) For persons of 21 years of age or older; 1 lit of alcoholic beverage c) Including minors accompanied or unaccompanied; gifts not exceeding USD 100 in value, provided that the stay in the United States is not less than 72 hours and that the gift exemption has not been claimed in the previous 6 months
Contraband:: Fresh, dried (canned meat permitted if cooked in can and can be stored without refrigeration) or meat products, poultry meat, fish (unless certified) narcotics, marijuana, dangerous drugs, plants, some seeds, fresh vegetables & fruits, soil, live insects, snails, and other living plant or animal pests. Imports from or exports to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Korea (North), Libya & Sudan. Matches and match-books in luggage unless tightly packed in a closed container. Eggs and dairy products, except fully-cured cheese

None.

Compulsary Vaccinations: None.
Recommended Immunisations: None.
Risks: - Rabies - Spread through the saliva of an infected animal, usually through a bite or scratch. There is a low risk in terrestrial animals in this country, but bat rabies maybe present, and exposure to bat saliva or neural tissue should be considered a potential risk. Any animal or bat bite should be assessed immediately. GENERAL INFO FOR ALL TRAVELLERS: Details listed can occasionally change at very short notice and it's recommended that all travellers seek advice from their Practice Nurse, GP or Travel Clinic when planning a visit to the USA. It should be noted that some vaccinations and treatments may require one or more visits and should be planned well in advance of travel. Primary courses and boosters should always be up to date as recommended for life in the UK. This should include vaccines given to special groups due to complications or risk exposure such as Hepatitis B for health care workers, influenza and pneumococcal vaccines for the elderly etc.

Passports and passport replacing documents must be valid for 6 months beyond the period of intended stay. Exemptions: a) Nationals of Marshall Islands and Micronesia may enter with a passport valid on arrival. b) Those residing in the USA may enter with documents valid on arrival. c) Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) passports must be valid for period of intended stay d) Hong Kong (SAR China) passports must be valid for period of intended stay. e) Macao (SAR China) passports must be valid for period of intended stay. f) Nationals of the following may enter with passports valid for the period of intended stay: Algeria, Andorra, Angola, Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Australia, Austria, Bahamas, Barbados, Belgium, Belize, Bermuda, Bolivia, Bosnia Herzegovina, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cote d'Ivoire, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Rep., Denmark, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Egypt, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Fiji, Finland, Gabon, Georgia, Germany, Greece, Grenada, Guatemala, Guinea (Rep. of), Guyana, Haiti, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Ireland (Rep. of), Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Korea (South), Latvia, Lebanon, Libya, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Macedonia (FYROM), Madagascar, Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mexico, Monaco, Mongolia, Montenegro, Mozambique, Myanmar (Burma), Nepal, Netherlands, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Palau Islands, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Philippines, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Romania, Russian Federation, San Marino, Serbia, Seychelles, Singapore, Slovak Rep., Slovenia, South Africa, Spain, Sri Lanka, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Thailand, Trinidad and Tobago, Tunisia, Turkey, Tuvalu, Ukraine, UAE, UK, Uruguay, Uzbekistan, Vatican City, Venezuela, Vietnam and Zimbabwe.

The following DO NOT require a visa: 1) Nationals of the USA and Canada. 2) Residents of United States if holding: a) A permanent Resident/Resident Alien Card (Form I-551) b) A US Permit to Re-Enter (Form I-327) c) Employment Authorization Card (Form I-776), provided endorsed "Serves as I-512 Advance Parole" or "Valid for Reentry to US". 3) For stays up to 90 days under the VWP (Visa Waiver Programme) PROVIDED: i) Passenger holds and ESTA Authorisation. ii) Passports issued on or after 26/10/2006 must be biometric. iii) Passports issued on or after 26/10/2005 must be biometric or be machine-readable and contain a digital photograph. iiii) Passports issued prior to 26/10/2005 must be machine-readable. a) Nationals of Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei Darussalam, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland (Rep. of), Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. b) Holders of biometric passports issued to nationals of Czech Rep., Estonia, Greece, Hungary, Korea (South), Latvia, Lithuania, Malta and Slovakia. c) Holders of British passports endorsed "British Citizen". d) Holders of British passports containing "Certificate of Entitlement to the Right of Abode" issued by the UK 4) Holders of a Certificate of Indian Status (Form A-1395) issued by the Canadian Department of Indian Affairs together with an identification (usually a tribal certification) which proves to having at least 50% American Indian blood. 5) Citizens of the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. 6) Holders of passports issued by the government of the Marshall Islands, Micronesia and Palau Islands. 7) Holders of British Passports endorsed "British Subject" provided residing in the Bahamas and clearing CBP pre-inspection prior to boarding in the Bahamas. 8) Citizens of the British Overseas Territory of Bermuda. 9) Nationals of the Bahamas, provided clearing CPB pre-inspection prior to boarding on the Bahamas. 10) Nationals of Mexico holding a passport AND a US "Border Crossing Card" (Form DSP-150) for either tourist or business purposes

1) Holds an ESTA approval which must be filled in 72 hours prior to travel. If ESTA is denied, passengers will be referred to the US embassy to apply for a visa. 2) There is currently a charge for the ESTA application. Passenger must be in possession of a completed form I-94W, obtainable from airline and shipping companies https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/ The Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) is only available on carriers that have signed the I-775 Agreement with the US Immigration and nationals of the countries mentioned in sections (3a & 3b) above. Entry requirements may change from time to time and should be checked with the United States Embassy.

Embassy

U.S. Embassy Visa Unit, 24 Grosvenor Square London, W1A 1AE tel: +44 20 7499 9000, 09042-450-100* (visa services) e-mail: londonconsular@state.gov website: www.usembassy.org.uk *calls cost ï¿½1.23/min office hours: 0830-1730 (Mon to Fri)