Every Person who travels from the UK to the USA by air or sea must fill out an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) before they go, or they will be turned away.
The ESTA became compulsory just over two years ago, and is necessary even for people who are just passing through the USA not just those who will be staying there.
ESTA is an electronic web based system that you fill in online before you travel. It tells you whether you are eligible to travel to the USA under the VWP (Visa Waiver Program. It is the modern equivalent of filling in the old I-94W (often called the Visa Waiver form) which used to be done while in transit. The ESTA allows travellers to know in advance if they qualify or not minimising the potential loss of plane fares and other travel costs.
Filling in an ESTA does not guarantee that you will automatically be allowed into the USA. What it does, is to establish that you are eligible to travel there. You will still be subject to US Customs and Border Protection on point of entry, and if they decide that you’ve failed to declare something (such as a criminal record) or that there is another reason for refusing you entry they can still do so.
There are five key things that you need to know:
* 1 – You must complete the ESTA if you are travelling to, or through the USA.
Everyone who is going to the USA by either air or sea must fill in this form. Without it you could be denied boarding the next flight, or entry into the country and sent straight back to the UK.
Before you book flights or accommodation, apply for this which is essentially your permit to travel. Go to the ESTA webpage, fill in the details (instructions are in a variety of languages but you MUST use English for your responses. Fill in all the details carefully, and note that some details you may need to add or amend at a later point such as flight number, and hotel where you’ll be staying for your first nights in the USA if you’ve not yet booked these.
Often you will receive your response after just a few seconds wait, but sometimes it asks you to check back later to receive your application status – this is normal. When you do get there, print out the page with your reference number on it or make a note of the number because this is NOT e-mailed to you and you’ll need it to check or update your details.
A full list of the questions asked and information which you’ll be required to provide can be seen on the US Department of Home Security Website.
* 2 – The ESTA can only be filled out online.
Because the US Government has decided it should be so, this application form is only available online. This means that if you don’t have web access, you’ll need to visit an internet café, friend’s home, or somewhere else where you can fill this in. Once it’s done you need to keep a note of your reference number or print out the authorisation page that is shown to you at the end of the form.
* 3 – The fee is $14 per person but there are surcharges with some payment methods.
Every accepted application costs $14 (or $4 if your application is rejected). The first $4 of this fee covers the ESTA admin fee, and the remaining $10 goes to a USA tourism promotion fund. Payment can be made using MasterCard, Visa or American Express but be careful which card you use as many charge you extra for spending in $’s instead of £’s. Some specialist cards are designed for foreign exchange and the top card of this nature is the Clarity Card from Halifax which has no foreign exchange fee regardless of which currency you use. (It’s also one of the cheapest cards to use while visiting the USA because of this and also because it doesn’t charge for ATM withdrawals, although you do incur a 12.9% APR from day one of your spend. For those over 50, the Saga Platinum card is another alternative which avoids the foreign exchange fee.
* 4 – Make sure you use the official ESTA website.
Unfortunately if you google ESTA you may find yourself directed to sites that are pretending to be the official page and charge you extra money to process your application. These are scams and should be avoided.
* 5 – You can’t renew, you just need to make a new application.
An ESTA lasts for either two years from the date it was granted, or until your passport expires whichever is sooner. If you’ve lost your passport or your existing ESTA has expired all you do is go back to the site and make a new application. There is no renewal method, you just have to start again each time and get a new application and new reference number. As soon as you apply for a new ESTA your old ESTA will cease to be valid.
If you fail to complete the ESTA before you travel, or, if you complete it and are declined, then you may find that you can’t even board your outward bound flight from here in the UK. If you do manage to make it across the Atlantic without an ESTA approval number, US Border Protection will turn you away, so it really is not worth the risk. This applies to every single person regardless of age and must therefore be filled in for children and babies as well as adults.
Even when you’ve filled in an ESTA, it is still possible that you will be asked to fill in a Green I-94W form. The I-94W is being phased out slowly across US airports, so if you land at one where this hasn’t yet occurred they may well ask you to complete one.
Puerto Rico and the Virgin islands are governed by the USA, and therefore if you are travelling to either of these countries you will need an ESTA.
Because the ESTA is only required if you are travelling to the USA by air or sea, if you arrive by land from somewhere such as Canada or Mexico, then you will NOT require an ESTA.
http://blog.netflights.com/2011/02/16/before-you-travel-the-united-states-esta-scheme/
