ESTA registration is a compulsory electronic travel formality for entering the USA. It allows you to obtain authorization to travel to the USA without having to apply for a visa beforehand. To register for ESTA, you need to meet certain conditions:
- be a citizen of a country that is part of the Visa Waiver Program, which allows nationals of 38 countries to travel to the U.S. without a U.S. visa;
- a valid passport, valid for the entire duration of your stay in the USA (the passport must be biometric or electronic);
- travel to the USA for less than 90 days;
- business travel, transit or tourism;
- use a U.S. government-approved airline or shipping company;
- not represent a threat to American homeland security.
If you meet these criteria, you can register for ESTA on the U.S. government website or via a private site.
What is the real value of the ESTA document?
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is a means of determining travelers’ eligibility to visit the USA. In particular, if they come from a member country of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). The document allows these foreign nationals to travel and stay on American soil for up to 90 days.
However, this does not mean that the ESTA document is a visa, or even its equivalent. It simply allows you to travel to the United States. The ESTA document is only valid when accompanied by a valid electronic or biometric (fingerprint) passport. If you change your passport within the two-year validity period (for example, because of a name change or expiry), you will need to apply for a new ESTA authorization.
ESTA is one of the security measures taken by the American authorities to prevent terrorists and other dangerous people from entering the United States.
Where and how to register for ESTA?
There are two ways to apply for ESTA. In all cases, there’s no need to go to the U.S. embassy or consulate for your ESTA application. Unlike the USA visa, which is applied for at a US embassy, the ESTA application can only be made online. You can either visit the official U.S. government website, or go to a private site. Unlike the official site, the independent sites offer help in filling in the ESTA form correctly.
The online application for this document is made via the ESTA form. This form is divided into three parts:
- questions about yourself: surname, first names, address, date and place of birth, nationality, etc. If you’re a married woman, use the name on your passport (even if it’s your maiden name);
- questions about your valid passport: passport number, date and place of issue, expiry date;
- and finally, a series of closed questions about your medical and criminal history. This helps determine whether you pose a threat to American national security.
We recommend that you fill in the online form as truthfully as possible. Check your answers too, so that you don’t face a refusal due to an input error.
Expiration of ESTA authorization
You must submit the ESTA online form no later than 72 hours before leaving for the United States. However, the sooner the better. If your ESTA application is put on hold, you will receive a reply within 72 hours. If your application is refused, you must apply for a USA visa, which takes much longer.
Once obtained, your ESTA authorization is valid for two years, or until the expiry date of your passport if it expires before the two-year period. With your authorization in hand, you can stay in the USA for as long as you like (90 days maximum), without having to take any further steps.
In all cases, the customs authorities have the final say. This means that it is the customs or immigration officer who will decide whether or not you can enter the USA.
