Wintering in the US as a visitor
How long a visitor may stay in the US, how long winters can make you a US taxpayer, Form 8840, and health cover while away — with a section for Canadians.
A visitor can winter in the US within set limits. Under the Visa Waiver Program the limit is 90 days; on a B-2 visitor visa the officer at entry sets the period, up to one year; Canadians usually stay up to six months without a visa. Long winters can make you a US resident for tax purposes under the IRS's 183-day test, which Form 8840 can answer, and your home health plan may pay little or nothing while you are in the US.
Who this page is for: anyone who is not a US citizen or resident and wants to spend the winter in the United States as a visitor — from Canada, the UK, Europe, Australia or anywhere else. Every rule below comes from the government that sets it.
A winter in Florida, Arizona or Texas does not need US residency, and the US pages on ExpatAlmanac are still useful to a visitor for what each place is like. This page sets out the visitor rules that decide how long you can stay and what a long stay changes.
How long a visitor may stay in the US
How long a visitor may stay depends on how they enter:
- The Visa Waiver Program, open to citizens of the countries it covers: a stay "for a period not exceeding 90 days" [1].
- A B-2 visitor visa: a visitor "may be admitted for not more than one year", and may be granted extensions "in increments of not more than six months each" [2]. The officer at entry sets the actual period.
- Canadian citizens generally need no visa [3]; see the Canada section below.
Staying out of US tax residency
Staying out of US tax residency matters for anyone who winters in the US year after year. The IRS treats you as a US resident for tax purposes if you meet its substantial presence test: at least 31 days in the current year, and 183 days over three years counting all of this year's days, a third of last year's and a sixth of the year before [5].
The closer connection exception is how a regular winter visitor stays a nonresident. It applies to someone present in the US fewer than 183 days in the year, who keeps a tax home in one foreign country all year and has a closer connection to it than to the US, and who has taken no steps toward a green card. In the IRS's words, "You must file Form 8840, Closer Connection Exception Statement for Aliens, to claim the Closer Connection Exception" — attached to a US return, or on its own by the return's due date [6].
Health cover while you are in the US
Health cover in the US has to come from home or from an insurer, because Medicare is not open to visitors: federal regulation limits it to US citizens and to green card holders after five years of continuous residence [9]. What your home plan pays in the US varies by country and plan, so check your own plan before you go. For Canadians, the Government of Canada is direct about it: "Your provincial or territorial health plan may cover none, or only a small part, of the costs of your medical care abroad" [8].
Wintering in the US from Canada
Wintering in the US from Canada has its own rules on both sides of the border. On the US side, the Government of Canada says: "Canadian visitors can usually stay in the United States for 6 months without a visa" [4]. Staying longer means applying for an extension at a U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office before the authorized stay ends, and "if a CBP officer suspects you are spending more time in the United States than in Canada, it will be up to you to prove to the officer that you are a temporary visitor" [4].
On the Canadian side, keeping provincial health cover has its own clock: "most jurisdictions require that you be physically present in your home province for at least 182 days per calendar year", and requirements vary [7]. Provincial plans "offer little or no coverage for medical expenses incurred outside of Canada" [7], which is why the Government of Canada advises buying travel health insurance before leaving [8]. Each province's own rules and limits are set out in Does your provincial plan cover you in Mexico? — the same rules apply in the US.
If you want to live abroad, not visit
Living abroad as a retiree, rather than visiting, needs a residency route, and the US has no retirement visa — Can you retire in the US if you're not American? explains why. Mexico, Portugal and Spain, among others, offer a residency route for people living on a pension or savings: retirement residency, country by country.
What this page does not answer
ExpatAlmanac gives no immigration, tax or legal advice here, and names no insurer, agent or adviser. The officer at entry, the IRS and your own health plan decide your own case.
Frequently asked questions
How long can I stay in the US as a visitor?
It depends on how you enter. A traveler under the Visa Waiver Program may stay for a period not exceeding 90 days. A B-2 visitor may be admitted for not more than one year, the actual period being set at entry, with extensions in steps of no more than six months. Canadian visitors can usually stay for six months without a visa. Sources: U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), checked 2026-10-30; U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), checked 2026-10-30; Government of Canada, checked 2026-10-30
Can wintering in the US make me a US taxpayer?
Yes, if you meet the IRS's substantial presence test: at least 31 days this year and 183 days over three years, counting all of this year's days, a third of last year's and a sixth of the year before. Someone present fewer than 183 days in the year who keeps a tax home and a closer connection abroad can claim the closer connection exception by filing Form 8840. Sources: Internal Revenue Service, checked 2026-10-30; Internal Revenue Service, checked 2026-10-30
Does Medicare cover me while I visit?
No. Medicare is limited by federal regulation to US citizens and to green card holders after five years of continuous residence, so a visitor is not covered. Health cover while visiting comes from your own plan or a travel insurer. Source: U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo), checked 2026-10-30
Sources for this page
- 8 U.S.C. 1187, Visa waiver program for certain visitors (United States Code, 2023 edition) U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
- 8 CFR 214.2(b), Visitors for business or pleasure, 2025 edition U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
- 8 CFR 212.1(a), Canadian citizens, 2025 edition U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Travel advice and advisories: United States (last updated 2026-10-15) Government of Canada · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Substantial presence test (last reviewed 2026-03-14) Internal Revenue Service · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Closer connection exception to the substantial presence test (last reviewed 2026-07-16) Internal Revenue Service · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Retiring abroad (modified 2026-10-02) Government of Canada · retrieved 2026-10-30
- Trip interruption and travel health insurance (modified 2026-09-02) Government of Canada · retrieved 2026-10-30
- 42 CFR 407.10, Eligibility to enroll (Part B), 2024 edition U.S. Government Publishing Office (GovInfo) · retrieved 2026-10-30
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