FAQ's

To strengthen the security of travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, requirements to travel visa-free have been enhanced. Nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries will still be eligible to travel without a visa but will have to obtain an approved travel authorization prior to their travel to the U.S.

The Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Customs and Border Protection have provided a secure public Web site with an automated form for you, or a third party, to complete in order to apply for a travel authorization. Once you enter the required biographic, travel, and payment information on the secure Web site, your application is processed by the system to determine if you are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program without a visa. The system will provide you with an automated response, and prior to boarding, a carrier will electronically verify with the United States Customs and Border Protection that you have an approved travel authorization on file.

The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is an automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and whether such travel poses any law enforcement or security risk.

ESTA approval authorizes a traveler to board a carrier for travel to the United States under the VWP. Private carriers must be a signatory visa waiver program carrier. See list of Signatory Carriers. While CBP recommends that you apply at least 72 hours before travel, you may apply any time prior to boarding. In most cases, a response is received within seconds of submitting an application.

ESTA is not a visa. It does not meet the legal requirements to serve in lieu of a U.S. visa when a visa is required. Travelers that possess a valid U.S. visa may travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose it was issued. Travelers traveling on valid visas are not required to apply for an ESTA. In the same way that a valid visa does not guarantee admission to the United States, an approved ESTA is not a guarantee of admission to the United States.

ESTA became mandatory January 12, 2009. VWP applicants are required to complete a blue Customs declaration upon arrival in the U.S. whether or not they have an ESTA authorization. VWP travelers are no longer required to complete the green I-94W card.

Approved ESTA applications are valid for a period of 2 years, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first, and multiple trips to the United States without the traveler having to re-apply for another ESTA. When traveling to the U.S. with the approved ESTA, you may only stay for up to 90 days at a time - and there should be a reasonable amount of time between visits so that the CBP Officer does not think you are trying to live here. There is no set requirement for how long you must wait between visits.

Travelers whose ESTA applications are approved, but whose passports will expire in less than two years, will receive an ESTA valid until the passport s expiration date.

A new ESTA authorization is required if:

• You are issued a new passport,
• You change your name (first and/or last)
• You change your gender (ESTA does not currently have a gender X to choose from on the application. It is suggested that the traveler choose whichever choice they feel most comfortable with. ESTA will not be denied solely on the gender chosen on the application.)
• Your country of citizenship changes
• Your circumstances change, e.g., you are convicted of a crime of moral turpitude or you develop a contagious disease. Such a change may require you to get a visa to travel to the U.S. You must re-apply and your application must reflect the change in your circumstances or you may be denied entry upon arrival in the United States. More information about other ineligibilities can be found on the U.S. State Department website

DHS recommends that you apply for ESTA authorization as soon as you know you will be traveling to the United States under the VWP. If your ESTA expires while in the U.S., it will not affect your departure.

Beginning September 8, 2010, there is a fee required by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (Section 9 of the United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-145). The fee is comprised of two parts:

• Processing Charge -- All applicants requesting an electronic travel authorization are charged for the processing of the application. The fee is US $4.00.
• Authorization charge -- If your application is approved and you receive authorization to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, an additional US $17.00 will be added to your payment method. If your electronic travel authorization is denied, you are only charged for the processing of your application.
• Our services to process -- US $58.00

CBP is not responsible for any third party fees for the transaction.

Note: It is important to PRINT a copy of the document for your records. The printout is not required upon arrival into the United States, as the officers have the information electronically.

An approved travel authorization is not a visa. It does not meet the legal or regulatory requirements to serve in lieu of a United States visa when a visa is required under United States law.

Individuals who possess a valid visa will still be able to travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose for which it was issued.
Individuals traveling on valid visas are not required to apply for an ESTA travel authorization under the Visa Waiver Program.

I am a citizen of Canada?
No, citizens of Canada who are traveling with a Canadian passport do not need an ESTA.

I am a Landed Immigrant of Canada?
If you are a landed immigrant of Canada and a citizen of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and you enter the U.S. by land, ESTA is not required. If you do not have ESTA, you will be required to complete the paper I-94W form and proceed through a manual entry process at the land border crossing. If you have an approved ESTA when entering the U.S. at a land border crossing, you will not be required to complete the paper I-94W form and your entry process is expedited. If you are coming to the U.S. by air or sea, you DO have to apply for ESTA. If you are not a citizen of a VWP country, you are required to have a visa, and therefore ESTA does not apply to you.

I am a Lawful Permanent Resident of the United States and a citizen of a VWP country?
No.

I am a citizen of a VWP country and am visiting the U.S. from Canada or Mexico?
If you are a citizen of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and you enter the U.S. by land from Mexico or Canada, ESTA is not required. If you do not have ESTA, you will be required to complete the paper I-94W form and proceed through a manual entry process at the land border crossing. If you have an approved ESTA when entering the U.S. at a land border crossing, you will not be required to complete the paper I-94W form and your entry process is expedited. However, if issued, you should return your green I-94W card upon departure from the U.S. If you are arriving by air or sea, you do need to apply for ESTA.

I am a citizen of a VWP country and am traveling to the United States by air to transit the U.S.?
Yes. You must apply for ESTA even if you are only transiting the U.S. In the address field of the application, write "In Transit."

I have dual citizenship from both a VWP country and a non-VWP country?
If you are flying under the terms of the VWP, with your VWP passport, you must apply for ESTA. If you are using your non-VWP country s passport, you will require a visa and therefore ESTA does not apply to you.

I am a citizen of a VWP country and am going to Guam or Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI)?
For international travel to Guam/CNMI under the VWP, ESTA is required. Nationalities that are eligible for Guam/CNMI VWP can travel to Guam/CNMI under that program without an ESTA. However, under the Guam/CNMI VWP, the maximum stay is 45 days and stay is restricted to those islands only - travel cannot be to the United States.
Travel from the United States to Guam/CNMI is considered a domestic flight, so no ESTA is required. Travelers go through pre-inspection for travel from Guam/CNMI to the United States. If that travel is under VWP, they need an ESTA.

I am a citizen of a VWP country and am traveling for short-term business or tourism under the VWP to Puerto Rico or the U.S. Virgin Islands?
Yes, ESTA is required for travel to these locations.

I am traveling with a minor (child under age 18) who is a citizen of a VWP country?
If the minor is traveling to the United States under the VWP as a tourist 90 days or less, he/she is required to obtain an independent ESTA approval.

I am a U.S. Citizen with dual citizenship in a VWP country?
U.S. Citizens are not required to have an ESTA and are required to use their U.S. passport to travel to the U.S.

If I have a current, valid visa?
Individuals who possess a valid visa will still be able to travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose for which it was issued. Individuals traveling on valid visas are not required to apply for an ESTA authorization.

In most cases the Electronic System for Travel Authorization will return an Application Status immediately. In cases where more time is needed to process an electronic travel authorization application, an answer will be usually returned within 72 hours. Information will be provided to check the application status if you receive a pending response. The three possible responses to an electronic travel authorization application are:

The "Implementing Recommendations of the 9/11 Commission Act of 2007" (9/11 Act) amended Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA), requiring that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) implement an electronic travel authorization system and other measures to enhance the security of the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA adds another layer of security that allows DHS to determine, in advance of travel, whether an individual is eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program and whether such travel poses a law enforcement or security risk.

The Visa Waiver Program allows foreign nationals from certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism, business, or transit, for stays of up to 90 days without obtaining a visa from the U.S. Embassy. Travelers admitted under the VWP must agree to waive their rights to review or appeal, as explained in the Waiver of Rights section of the Application screen

For further information refer to § 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1187, and 8 C.F.R. § 217.

Nationals or citizens of countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program can transit through the United States with an Approve Authorization. If a traveler is only planning to transit through the United States en route to another country, when completing the ESTA, the traveler should select "Yes" to the question "Is your travel to the US occurring in transit to another country?".

The ESTA program allowed DHS to eliminate the requirement that Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers complete an I-94W prior to being admitted to the United States. CBP has transitioned to paperless processing for VWP travelers arriving by air or sea who have obtained a travel authorization. Most carriers are now capable of receiving and validating messages pertaining to the travelers ESTA status as part of the traveler s boarding status. Travelers entering the U.S. under the VWP who have an approved travel authorization will no longer be given a green I-94W departure coupon in their passport.