The United States is so big that crossing from Los Angeles on the west coast to Boston on the east coast will take the same as a flight from Boston to Madrid, Spain, approximately 6 hours and 40 minutes on a direct flight. So, it is pretty obvious that you won’t make it to see all the country on one trip, but it is definitely worth the shot on trying to see as much as you can. The US is an incredible country, it has a mix of cultures, foods, weather, cities, and more that makes this big country what it is. For sure that every person wishes to visit at least one place that is in the United States, whether it’s NYC and all its fashion, LA and their trendy life with Hollywood, or any of the Disney parks and all its magic, here you will find anything.
Since it’s on almost everybody’s bucket list, this country has certain restrictions for entry and it’s necessary that you check the ones that apply to you and your citizenship before travel. Check this complete guide to the USA ESTA and find everything you will need to know before you start planning your next destination.
Do I need a visa to enter the USA?
Most of the citizens of a foreign country who wishes to enter the United States generally must obtain a US visa first, which is usually placed in the traveler’s passport. Even though almost all countries will need to apply for some form of visa or travel authorization to travel to the US, there are certain international travelers who may be eligible to travel to the US without the need of a visa in case they meet the requirements for the visa-free travel.
There are as well, different types of visas depending on your travel purposes, while the most common is the tourist visa which needs fewer requirements and can even be obtained online.
What is a USA ESTA visa?
The United States Electronic System for Travel Authorization or ESTA is an automated system used by the American government to determine whether a traveler is eligible to travel to the US under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) or not.
Keep in mind that the ESTA is not precisely a visa, according to the USA government, it doesn’t meet the legal requirements to serve in lieu of a US visa when a particular visa is required. If a traveler already possesses a valid US visa, they may travel on that visa only for the purpose it was issued for. It’s not needed for the traveler to apply for an ESTA if it’s already a holder of a US visa for the same purposes as an ESTA.
So basically, the US ESTA allows certain qualifying nationalities to travel to the United States if their travel purposes are tourism or business, without the need to obtain a US visa at an embassy.
Who can apply for the ESTA?
Any citizen or national who holds a valid passport for a country that is designated as part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), this VWP allows most citizens or national of the participating countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business without the need of obtaining a visa for stays of 90 days or less each.
In order to apply for the US ESTA, the applicant may be a citizen or eligible national of a VWP country, must not be in possession of any type of visitor’s visa to the US, their intended length of stay should be 90 days or less, and the purpose of travel is tourism or business.
How long will the USA ESTA be valid for?
All the approved ESTA are granted and valid for a period of 2 years, or until the passport expires, whichever happens first, allowing the traveler to enter the US multiple times without having to re-apply for another ESTA during that period. Each visit may be of 90 days or less and there should be a reasonable amount of time between visits, so it doesn’t appear that the traveler is trying to live in the US.
If the applicant gets a new passport, change their name, change their gender, change the country of citizenship, or if there’s a need to change the response to any of the “yes” or “no” questions on the ESTA application, it must apply to obtain a new ESTA.
What are the requirements to apply for the USA ESTA?
You will need an e-passport valid for at least 6 months after your planned departure date from the US, also this passport must have been issued by one of the Visa Waiver Program countries. It will also be needed the traveler’s email address, home address, and phone number, as well that a designated person to be the traveler’s emergency contact and their contact phone and email.
For the application, it will be asked for the accommodation details, if it’s a hotel it will ask for all the information as complete address and phone number, if it’s a host it will ask for complete name, and complete address and phone number as well.
How much is the USA ESTA fee?
The total application fee is 64 USD, which is a non refundable fee and the payment can be made with almost any type of debit or credit card, or even with your PayPal account.
How can I get the USA ESTA?
First, when starting the application it will ask some disclaimer questions, then it will actually start the application process and ask about the applicant’s general information, in this part, it will also ask about the applicant’s citizenship and it will determine whether the country is eligible or not. After this, it will ask you to fill in the applicant’s personal information, following the travel information part where it will ask about the accommodation information. Lastly, it will show some eligibility questions that are the “yes” or “no” questions. As a final step, it will ask you to review the application and check if all the information given is correct and true, once this is confirmed it will take you to the payment gateway to finish and submit your application.
The application can be filled by parts in case you can’t do it all at once, it shows an application number that you will need to keep track of in case you need to continue your application, this code is also asked if you want to check your application process status.
Once the ESTA is granted it will be sent to the email provided at the beginning of the application and it can also be checked on the official website with the application code.
How long in advance should I submit my ESTA application USA?
The United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recommends all travelers apply for the US ESTA as soon as you know you will be traveling to the United States and will need an ESTA for the purpose. While the date of your arrival to the US may be far, it is recommended to apply not less than 72 prior to travel, national holidays and business days may have an impact on the processing time of your application. In case that your ESTA expires while you are in the US, it won’t affect your departure process.
Remember to check before your travel dates for any restrictions or measurements related to COVID-19 in the US, since they change rapidly it’s important to keep updated on the information. As for now all non-citizens who are traveling by air to the United States need to show their COVID-19 vaccination certificate on their arrival, all travelers need to be fully vaccinated before entering the US. All travelers will need to present a negative COVID-19 test result, the test must have been done within 24 hours prior to boarding regardless of nationality or vaccination status. Now that you have all the needed information to get your US ESTA, is the moment to start planning your next trip and start your application as well.
AdminPUBLISHED ON 31 Dec 2021
