To visit the USA, it’s usually necessary to obtain an ESTA first. This is an electronic application that’s automated and usually issued within a few days of making the online application. This article covers details about the ESTA and a few basics about it.
What is the ESTA?
For this visa waiver program, there is a list of countries, including the UK (for UK nationals), where it’s unnecessary to obtain a visa for short visits to the USA. This applies for a stay of 90 days or less. The U.S. Department of Homeland Security is responsible for approving ESTA applications. The idea behind them is that they can pre-approve people arriving to streamline the processing of new arrivals. Sufficient information has already been submitted by the applicant. Then they can confidently board a plane to travel to the USA, usually at any time over the following two years.
Is It Easier than Applying for a Visa?
This is one of the common ESTA questions that people have. Just like with many other countries, visa waivers for a list of certain countries allow border control to handle the number of visitors. With the submitted application days before arrival, visitors using the visa waiver system can get approval with less concern about being denied entry upon arrival. It is considerably easier and quicker than when applying for a visa.
Check Your Passport Expiry Date
Your passport mustn’t expire in the next few months, or you could be refused entry. To be clear, this is at least six months following your departure from the United States, not from the date of arrival into the US. Also, you’ll need sufficient free pages to accommodate arrival and departure stamps, etc. If you’re worldly traveled, verify that your passport isn’t already too full.
E-Passports Are Required
Passports can have an expiry that’s a decade out. As a result, some people still have an old-style passport that isn’t a more modern, ‘e-passport’ type. The e-passport is denoted by an e-passport symbol near the bottom of the front cover. These are biometric passports which contain additional information that can be scanned.
To obtain an ESTA, it can only be done with an e-passport, not an older style. This also applies to temporary or emergency issuance passports as well. Otherwise, you’ll need to apply for a visa at an American Embassy instead.
Leaving and Re-entering the USA
One option for travelers is that they choose to cross the border over to Mexico or into Canada. When using the ESTA program, the permitted length of stay is 90 days each time. When you take a few days trip to see parts of Canada and then return to the USA, usually the USA side can be handled through ESTA. The situation with the 90 days is that it continues to run while absent. Therefore, a return is based on the original 90-day entry date where the time remaining from it confirms how long a return visit can last.
Hopefully, this clarifies the basics of the ESTA. See the linked questions above if you need to know more than this.
