FAQ (Frequently Asked questions)

An ESTA isn't a substitute for a visa. If you have a visa, you can travel to the U.S. for the purposes of that visa. If you are traveling on a visa, you do not need to apply for an ESTA. An ESTA doesn't meet the requirements of a visa under those circumstances where a visa is required by law.  

You will need an approved ESTA before you depart for the U.S. if you are traveling under the VWP (Visa Waiver Program) by sea or air. This applies to infants who do not themselves have visas, even if they are non-ticketed travelers. You may engage a third party to submit your ESTA application under the VWP.  

Under the VWP, you can apply for admission if:

• You have a valid passport issued by a VWP country,
• You plan on coming to the U.S. for 90 days or less as a tourist or business visitor, or in transit,
• You are a citizen of a participating VWP country (see list below),
• You have a ticket to return to your home country, or to travel onward,
• You arrive by means of a sea or air carrier that is part of the VWP,
• You do not end your visit by traveling to a contiguous territory or to an adjacent island unless you live there,
• You have complied with all requirements on any previous VWP visits to the U.S.,
• You waive the right to appeal or request review of your admissibility determination (made by U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers), and to contest any removal action in connection with the VWP, other than contesting such an action based on an application for asylum, and you reaffirm that Waiver by submitting fingerprints, photographs, and other biometric identifiers while you are being processed during your arrival in the U.S.,
• You satisfy U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers at your port of entry that you are entitled to be admitted under the VWP, and they do not find that you are ineligible to be admitted based on the Immigration and Nationality Act, and
• You are not a threat to U.S. national security, health, safety, or welfare.

 

The following countries are part of the Visa Waiver Program:

Andorra	Hungary	Portugal
Australia	Iceland	Republic of Malta
Austria	Ireland	San Marino
Belgium	Italy	Singapore
Brunei	Japan	Slovakia
Chile	Latvia	Slovenia
Czech Republic	Liechtenstein	South Korea
Denmark	Lithuania	Spain
Estonia	Luxembourg	Sweden
Finland	Monaco	Switzerland
France	Netherlands	Taiwan
Germany	New Zealand	United Kingdom
Greece	Norway

 

The Travel protection Act of 2009 does include a fee, in two parts:

• Processing fee ($4.00 USD) -- all applicants for an ESTA are required to pay the fee for processing the application.
• Authorization fee ($10.00 USD) -- if you are approved and are authorized to travel to the U.S under the VWP, you must pay this fee. it will be charged to your credit card. if your application is denied, you will only be required to pay the application fee.
• Third part service providers may charge a higher fee for the Application Services they provide. The total fee will include the Processing fee and Authorization fee.

 

Currently, all ESTA application payments must be by a credit or debit card of the following type: Visa, MasterCard, American Express, or Discover (Diner's Club, JCB). All payment information must be received before an application can be processed.  

An ESTA is valid for two years from the date when it is authorized, or until the date of your passport's expiration, whichever is the soonest. You will see the date of your ESTA's expiration on the screen that shows your application's approval.

Note that an ESTA only authorizes you to stay in the U.S. for 90 days (the allowed time under the VWP), and not two years. if you want to stay for a period of greater than 90 days, you must go to the U.S. consulate or embassy and apply for a visa.

You can, however, use your ESTA for multiple visits to the U.S. during the time that it is valid, so you do not have to reapply for an ESTA each time you come to the U.S. as long as it remains valid. Your departure from the U.S. will not be affected if your ESTA expires during your visit.

Print a copy of your ESTA for your records. Customs and Border Protection officers have access to electronic versions of your ESTA, but it is advisable to carry a printout.

You will be required to apply for a new ESTA if you change any of the following: your name, your gender, the country of which you are a citizen, or your answer to any of the VWP eligibility questions.  

I am a citizen of a VWP country and a lawful permanent resident of the U.S.?
No -- you do not need to apply for an ESTA.  

If you are both a citizen of a VWP country and a landed immigrant of Canada, you do not need an ESTA if you are entering the U.S. by land. In the absence of an ESTA, however, you will need to fill out form I-94W and be processed manually for entry t the border crossing. if you have a valid ESTA, your entry will be quicker, and you will not need to fill out form I-94W. If you are traveling to the U.S. by an air or sea carrier, you will need an ESTA. If you aren't a citizen of a VWP country, you will need a visa.  

If you are a citizen of a VWP country, you will not need an ESTA. In the absence of an ESTA, however, you will need to fill out form I-94W and be processed manually for entry t the border crossing. if you have a valid ESTA, your entry will be quicker, and you will not need to fill out form I-94W. if you are traveling to the U.S. by an air or sea carrier, you will need an ESTA. If you do receive a green I-94W card, you should return it when you leave the U.S. If you are traveling to the U.S. by an air or sea carrier, you will need an ESTA.  

If you are entering under your VWP passport and under VWP terms, you will need an ESTA, If you are entering under your non-VWP passport, you will need a visa, and not an ESTA.

You must travel to the U.S under your U.S. passport, and do not need an ESTA.

You will need an ESTA.

If you are traveling under the U.S. VWP, you will need an ESTA. if you are traveling under the Guam/CMNI VWP, you will not need an ESTA, but you can only stay for 45 days, and you cannot travel to the U.S.

The U.S. considers travel from Guam/CMNI to the U.S. to be a domestic flight, so the flight itself does not require an ESTA. Travelers on such a flight, however, are subject to pre-inspection, and if you are traveling under the VWP, you will need an ESTA.

If that child is traveling under the VWP, he or she must have an approved ESTA.

You can travel to the U.S. under the terms of that visa, and do not need an ESTA.

Before you submit and pay for your ESTA application, you can update any of the information except for your passport country and passport number. After you submit it along with payment information, you can update the address at which you will be staying in the U.S., along with your E-mail address, but only those items.

You are not required to, but the Department of Homeland Security does recommend that you print out your ESTA for record-keeping purposes and to confirm your ESTA status. The DHS will send your ESTA status information to the authorized carrier bringing you to the U.S.

You are not required to present a printed copy or your ESTA in order to travel under the VWP. It is a good idea, however, to keep a printout for your records. You can also get a copy of your ESTA from the ESTA website by supplying your name, date of birth, and passport country and number. This may be useful if you have forgotten your ESTA application number.

You must reapply for an ESTA if:

• You change your name,
• You change your gender,
• Your passport expires or you are issued a new passport,
• You change your country of citizenship,
• Your circumstances change in such a way that the answer to any of the Yes/No questions on your ESTA application would change.
• Your previous ESTA expires.

You do not need to reapply. You only need your ESTA for entry into the U.S