Preparing your trip to the United States is a lot of fun, but also a lot of organization. For those of you who don’t yet know, theESTA became compulsory for both adults and minors in 2009. For nationals of one of the 38 member countries of the exemption program, who are visiting the USA for the first time, the term ESTA may be completely foreign to them. Since 2009, the US government, in its fight against terrorism and with a view to reinforcing security measures, has decided to set up this system for monitoring travellers in the form of the ESTA form.
In return, travelers can visit the USA without a visa, thanks to a quick and easy online application. The USA has full access to the data you enter, within the limits of the protection of private and professional life. They can use it for official investigations, for example. The ESTA document has become an essential part of planning a trip to the USA, but how long is it valid for? Find out below.
ESTA authorization for the United States
As we have just said, this visa waiver program is part of a security policy designed to protect the United States’ air and sea borders. At present, 38 countries benefit from this program. Nationals of these countries can now visit, discover and tour Uncle Sam’s country without having to go through the cumbersome procedure of applying for a USA visa at an American embassy. ESTA has been a paid-for permission since 2010. The majority of this fee goes directly to promoting tourism throughout the USA, and the remainder pays for the cost of processing the authorization request.
How to apply for ESTA
Would you like to travel to the USA with an ESTA? Certain conditions must be met in order to receive authorization to travel to the USA. The applicant must be a tourist or business traveler for a maximum of 90 days (note: transit through the U.S. territory also requires an ESTA), hold a valid passport (electronic or biometric) and arrive on U.S. soil by air or sea.
You don’t have a biometric or electronic passport for your stay in the United States? Is your passport about to expire? Go to your local town hall to apply for a new passport. Having a passport is a mandatory step for ESTA eligibility, and applicants must present it at embarkation to be able to leave for the USA.
It should be pointed out that under no circumstances does this authorization allow a businessman to work in any organization or company on American territory. To work or study at an American university, you need a visa, and different visas are available depending on the purpose of your trip to the United States. You will need to contact the American embassy to obtain an American visa in order to travel to the USA.
To apply for ESTA, the applicant must fill in an online form on a private website or on the U.S. government website, and provide his or her passport number. The ESTA form is generally easy to fill in on these independent sites. A team verifies all the data, so that the U.S. authorities receive truthful information. If you’re used to dealing with administrative formalities, you can order on the official U.S. government website. The process takes longer, but if you’re careful, there’s no risk of rejection. A rejected application is possible if you fill in the online form incorrectly, but this is a rare occurrence.
How long is the ESTA valid for?
When it comes to lead times, there are a few figures you need to know. Firstly, the application is only considered once you have paid the amount due. As for the response time, the American authorities give themselves a maximum of 72 hours to issue your status.
This is why travelers are urged to apply several days before departure. The ESTA is an authorization for a temporary stay. It is valid for 2 years from the date of issue. There is one exception to this rule: if the holder’s passport expires before this time, the ESTA will no longer be valid, and you will need to apply for a new passport and submit an ESTA application using the information in the new passport.
