FAQ

Applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States. The Department of Homeland Security recommends that travel authorization applications be submitted at least 72 hours prior to travel. Unless revoked, travel authorizations are valid for two years from the date of authorization, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.

Select “Continue Existing Application” from the ESTA homepage and select “Individual Application”. Then you will need to retrieve your application by entering either your Passport Number, Date of Birth, and Application Number OR the Country of Citizenship, Passport Issuance Date and Passport Expiration Date. Once the application is successfully retrieved, you will be able to complete the application.

Unless revoked, travel authorizations are valid for two years from the date of authorization, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. The Authorization Approved screen displays your travel authorization expiration date.
Your ESTA authorization is generally valid for multiple trips over a period of two years (starting the date that you are approved) or until your passport expires, whichever comes first*. This means that as long as you received an ESTA authorization to travel, you do not have to reapply during the validity period.
Note: Effective July 6, 2023, any new ESTA applications for citizens of Brunei using a Brunei passport will have a maximum validity period of one year.
Note: Effective August 1, 2023, any new ESTA applications for citizens of Hungary using a Hungary passport will have a maximum validity period of one year.
If your ESTA expires while in the U.S. it will not affect your departure.
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.
Receiving ESTA authorization does not mean you may stay in the U.S. for two years. It only allows you to travel to the U.S. under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which only allows you to stay in the U.S. for 90 days or less. If you plan to stay for longer than 90 days, you must obtain a visa at the nearest U.S. Embassy or Consulate.
*If you obtain a new passport or change your name, sex or country of citizenship, you will be required to apply for a new travel authorization. This is also required if one of your answers to any of the VWP eligibility questions changes. The associated fee of US $21 will be charged for each new application submitted.
Note: CBP recommends that you apply for ESTA at the time you book your travel, but no less than 72 hours prior to boarding.

The estimated average time to complete this application is 23 minutes.

The Web site will allow applicants to review and correct their data prior to submitting the application, including reconfirming the passport number. Prior to submitting an application with the required payment information, you can correct all application data fields except the passport number, passport issuing country, country of citizenship and date of birth. If an applicant made a mistake on their passport or biographical information he or she will need to submit a new application. The associated fee will be charged for each new application submitted. Any other mistakes may be corrected or updated by clicking “Check Individual Status” under “Check ESTA Status”. If the traveler made a mistake in answering the eligibility questions, please click on the CBP Info Center Link at the bottom of each page.

You are eligible to apply for admission under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) if you:
Intend to enter the United States for 90 days or less for business, pleasure or transit
Have a valid passport lawfully issued to you by a Visa Waiver Program country
Arrive via a Visa Waiver Program signatory carrier
Have a return or onward ticket
Travel does not terminate in contiguous territory or adjacent islands unless the traveler is a resident of one of those areas
Are a citizen or national of one of the Visa Waiver Program countries listed below:
Andorra
Australia
Austria
Belgium
Brunei
Chile
Croatia
Czech Republic
Denmark
Estonia
Finland
France
Germany
Greece
Hungary
Iceland
Ireland
Israel
Italy
Japan
Latvia
Liechtenstein
Lithuania
Luxembourg
Republic of Malta
Monaco
Netherlands
New Zealand
Norway
Poland
Portugal
San Marino
Singapore
Slovakia
Slovenia
South Korea
Spain
Sweden
Switzerland
Taiwan^[1]
United Kingdom

Establish to the satisfaction of the inspecting United States Customs and Border Protection officer that you are entitled to be admitted under the Visa Waiver Program and that you are not inadmissible under the Immigration and Nationality Act.
Waive any rights to review or appeal of the admissibility determination of the United States Customs and Border Protection officer, or contest, other than on the basis of an application for asylum, any removal action arising from an application for admission under the Visa Waiver Program.
Reaffirm, through the submission of biometric identifiers (including fingerprints and photographs) during processing upon arrival in the United States, your waiver of any rights to review or appeal of the admissibility determination of the United States Customs and Border Protection officer, or contest, other than on the basis of an application for asylum, any removal action arising from an application for admission under the Visa Waiver Program.
Not pose a threat to the welfare, health, safety, or security of the United States.
Have complied with all conditions of any previous admission under the Visa Waiver Program.
NOTE: British citizens only with the unrestricted right of permanent abode in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.
^[1] With respect to all references to “country” or “countries” in this document, it should be noted that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, Pub. L. No. 96-8, Section 4(b)(1), provides that “[w]henever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with respect to Taiwan.” 22 U.S.C. § 3303(b)(1). Accordingly, all references to “country” or “countries” in the Visa Waiver Program authorizing legislation, Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1187, are read to include Taiwan. This is consistent with the United States’ one-China policy, under which the United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.

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 a travel authorization.

You can check the status of your ESTA as listed below: Individual Application: To check your ESTA status, go to the ESTA homepage, select “Check ESTA Status “, and then click “Check Individual Status”. You will need to enter either your Passport Number, Date of Birth, and Application Number OR the Country of Citizenship, Passport Issuance Date and Passport Expiration Date. Group Application: To check your ESTA Group status, go to the ESTA homepage, select “Check ESTA Status”, and then click “Check Group Status”. You will need to enter Group ID, Family Name, First (Given) Name, Email Address, and Date of Birth for Group Point of Contact. If you do not know the Group ID, select the link “I do not know my Group ID” to retrieve your Group ID. The three possible responses to an ESTA application are:
Authorization Approved. Your travel authorization has been approved and you are authorized to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. The system displays confirmation of the application approval and a payment receipt notice showing the amount or your payment. A travel authorization does not guarantee admission to the United States as a Customs and Border Protection officer at a port of entry will have the final determination.
Travel Not Authorized. You are not authorized to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. You may apply for a visa from the Department of State for your travel. Please visit the U.S. Department of State Web site at http://www.travel.state.gov for additional information about applying for a visa. This response does not deny entry into the United States. This response only prohibits you from traveling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. The system also displays a payment receipt notice showing the amount of your payment for the processing of the ESTA application.
Authorization Pending. Your travel authorization is under review because an immediate determination could not be made for your application. This response does not indicate negative findings. A determination will usually be available within 72 hours. Please return to this Web site and choose “Check ESTA Status,” and then “Individual Application.” Your application number, passport number, and birth date will be required to check the status of your application.
NOTE: Details entered to retrieve an application must exactly match the information entered in the ESTA application. Any discrepancy between information entered to retrieve an application and the information entered in the application itself will result in a No Application Found or Application Expired message.

All payments for electronic travel authorization applications must be made by credit card/debit card or PayPal. The ESTA system currently accepts only the following credit card/debit cards: MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover (JCB, Diners Club). Your application will not be submitted for processing until all payment information is received.

A new travel authorization may be required in any of the following circumstances:
The traveler is issued a new passport
The traveler changes his or her name
The traveler changes his or her sex
The traveler’s country of citizenship changes; or
The circumstances underlying the traveler’s previous responses to any of the ESTA application questions requiring a “yes” or “no” response have changed.
Travel authorization approvals will typically be granted for a period of two years or until the applicant’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. ESTA will provide validity dates upon approval of the application. Therefore, a traveler must apply for a new travel authorization when a prior ESTA authorization or an applicant’s passport expires. The associated fee will be charged for each new application submitted.

Application Fee:
Express: $184.00 USD.
Standard: $139.00 USD.
Status Checking: $32.00 USD.
Application Fees covers the authorization andprocessing fee.
Third-party transaction fees are not covered by CBP.

The ESTA application fee is made up of two parts, the travel promotion fee and the operational fee.
Congress, through the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2020 (PL 116-94), increased the travel promotion fee portion of the ESTA application fee from $10 to $17.
The $4 operational fee retained by CBP has not increased.

CBP systems updates required to collect the new fee amount are scheduled to be effective on May 26, 2022, at approximately 1700 EST

The estimated average time to complete this application is 2All unpaid ESTA applications in the system after the system update on May 26, 2022, will be subject to the new fee amount of $21.3 minutes.

No, if you already have a valid, approved ESTA you do not need to re-apply. When your ESTA validity period ends and you re-apply for an ESTA, you will be charged the new fee of $21 per application.

Before using the Visa Waiver Program, be aware of the following conditions that apply and carefully consider your options:
If you are admitted to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, you may not change or extend your non-immigrant status.
If your admission is denied, you have no right to appeal a determination as to admissibility.
If you are found to have violated the terms of your admission, you also have no right to review or appeal, other than on the basis of an application for asylum, any removal action arising from an application for admission under the Visa Waiver Program.

No. The requirements for a nonimmigrant visitor (B1/B2) visa are different under U.S. statute and more complex than the requirements for an ESTA. Applicants for a B1/B2 visa must in most cases undergo an interview with a United States Department of State consular officer, submit their biometric information in advance of travel, and provide additional biographic information not required under ESTA. These requirements do not exist for VWP travelers and will not exist with the addition of new ESTA questions.

No. ESTA travel authorization needs only to be valid upon arrival in the United States.

I have a valid visitor (B1/B2) visa and am traveling to the U.S. for short-term business or tourism under the VWP?
No, you will travel on your visitor visa.
I do not have a visitor visa and am traveling under the VWP for short-term business or tourism?
Yes.
I do not have a visitor visa but I have another type of visa, for example, a student visa (F1), but am traveling under the VWP for short-term business or tourism?
Yes.

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

I am a citizen (adult or minor) of a VWP country and am visiting the U.S.?
Yes.

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 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.

Eligible nationals or citizens of countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program require either a travel authorization or a visa to transit the United States. If a traveler is only planning to transit through the United States en route to another country, when he or she completes the travel authorization application in ESTA, the traveler should select “Yes” to the question “Is your travel to the US occurring in transit to another country?”.

No. DHS will be able to communicate a traveler’s ESTA status to the carriers. However, DHS recommends that travelers print out the travel authorization application response in order to maintain a record of their traveler authorization application number and to have confirmation of their ESTA status.
U.S. regulation does NOT require a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) traveler to present a printed copy of the ESTA authorization page in order to travel. However, it is recommended that you print a copy for your records. If you did not receive or cannot locate your application number, you may retrieve the application through the ESTA website by entering your passport number, country of citizenship, passport issuance date, passport expiration date, and date of birth.

If your electronic travel authorization is approved, this approval establishes that you are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, but does not guarantee that you are admissible to the United States. Upon arrival in the United States you will be inspected by a Customs and Border Protection officer at a port of entry who may determine that you are inadmissible under the Visa Waiver Program or for any reason under United States law.

More information about the Visa Waiver Program can be found on the CBP website and the Department of State website.

The implementation of the ESTA program allowed DHS to eliminate the requirement for Visa Waiver Program travelers arriving by air, land or sea to complete an I-94W prior to being admitted to the United States.

If you intend to arrive in the United States aboard a non-signatory air carrier.
If you intend to visit the United States for more than 90 days.
If you believe any grounds of inadmissibility of the Immigration and Nationality Act § 212(a) apply to you, you should apply for a nonimmigrant visa before traveling to the United States.
If you are traveling to the United States for a purpose other than short-term tourism or business.

Visa Waiver Program requirements are:
The passport must have a machine-readable zone on the biographic page.
The passport must be an electronic passport with a digital chip containing biometric information about the passport owner.
EXCEPTION: Effective July 1, 2009, Visa Waiver Program countries’ emergency or temporary passports must be electronic passports.

Taiwan ^[1] passport holders must provide Passport Number and Personal Identification Number (PIN).

NOTE: For citizens of the United Kingdom, only passports indicating British Citizenship are eligible to be used for travel under the Visa Waiver Program. A passport indicating that the bearer is a British Subject, British Dependent Territories Citizen, British Overseas Citizen, British National (overseas) Citizen or British Protected Person does not qualify for travel without a visa.
[1] With respect to all references to “country” or “countries” in this document, it should be noted that the Taiwan Relations Act of 1979, Pub. L. No. 96-8, Section 4(b)(1), provides that “[w]henever the laws of the United States refer or relate to foreign countries, nations, states, governments, or similar entities, such terms shall include and such laws shall apply with respect to Taiwan.” 22 U.S.C. § 3303(b)(1). Accordingly, all references to “country” or “countries” in the Visa Waiver Program authorizing legislation, Section 217 of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. 1187, are read to include Taiwan. This is consistent with the United States’ one-China policy, under which the United States has maintained unofficial relations with Taiwan since 1979.

If you have any additional passports, please enter the most recent passport information, even if that passport is expired. If you are a dual citizen but do not have a passport from another country, select the country from the drop down list and do not enter anything in the Passport Number field.

Each Visa Waiver Program traveler must have an approved travel authorization for the passport they plan to use before they travel to the United States. If a traveler obtains a new passport, they must submit a new travel authorization application in ESTA using the new passport. A processing fee will be charged for each new application submitted.
If you have dual citizenship and have registered with ESTA, you should use your VWP-eligible passport to board the plane when you leave your country of departure and when you arrive in the U.S. If both your countries of citizenship are VWP-eligible, then we strongly recommend you choose which one you want to claim for purposes of travel to the U.S., and use that country’s passport each time you travel. One person with two different ESTA authorizations creates confusion that will only delay your travel.
If you are a citizen of the U.S., and also of a VWP country, you should not be applying for ESTA. One of the requirements of being a naturalized U.S. citizen is that you apply for, and use, a U.S. passport for your travels. While we are aware that in some cases, naturalized U.S. citizens use their alternate country’s passport to travel, our expectation is that you will use the U.S. passport to travel from another country to the U.S. at both points of travel, departing the foreign country, and arriving into the U.S.

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 a travel authorization.

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 United States.
The Department of Homeland Security and the United States 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. CBP recommends that you apply for ESTA at the time you book your travel, but no less than 72 hours prior to boarding.
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 two 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 sex
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 Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 (PL 116-94), updated ESTA application fee to $21. 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.
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.