Before traveling to the USA, nationals of countries covered by the U.S. visa waiver must obtain ESTA authorization. This authorization was introduced to reinforce security measures in the United States, by collecting personal information from all travelers prior to their arrival in the country. Travel to the USA with an ESTA document is possible for nationals holding a biometric or electronic passport, and a round-trip ticket covering a temporary stay of up to 90 days for business, tourism or transit purposes. To apply for ESTA, you need to fill in an online form.
What is the ESTA USA form?
The ESTA form is an essential step in obtaining authorization for your stay in the United States. Various forms are available on the Internet.
If you’re surfing the web and come across a private site, you can fill in the simplified form usually found on the home page. You’ll be asked for a few very brief details: surname, first name, e-mail address and passport number, etc. Once you have completed the form, you must pay the required fee to validate your application. The private company is responsible for receiving your personal information, verifying it and passing it on to the American authorities. This reduces the risk of making a mistake.
By visiting the official US government website, you can also fill in a longer, unassisted form at a lower cost. On the government website, you’ll be asked to fill in fields about your identity, employment and where you’re staying in the USA. You will then be asked a series of questions about your health and legal history, which you should answer as honestly as possible. As on a specialized site, the application is validated as soon as payment is registered, so you’ll need to bring your bank card with you.
This form is then analyzed by electronic systems, then by the American authorities if necessary. Sometimes this process takes just a few minutes, but it can also take up to 72 hours. So don’t panic if the verdict doesn’t come immediately.
ESTA authorization requests are not always accepted
Please note the three possible responses to your online request: authorization granted, request pending or travel not authorized.
For those who have been granted authorization, you can now prepare your trip to the USA and use your authorization for the full two-year validity period. A pending decision may be subject to a 72-hour waiting period before a final decision is made. And finally, a rejected authorization, which does not allow you to travel with the ESTA on American soil. In this case, it’s advisable to make sure you haven’t made any mistakes when filling in the form, for example concerning the validity date of your passport, as this happens more often than you think.
If you can’t get an ESTA for your trip to the USA, there’s still one last solution: applying for a visa at the American embassy. The USA visa takes longer to obtain, so hurry to the U.S. embassy to receive your travel document. Find out more about the different visas, as there are ones for all durations and motivations. An agent at the U.S. embassy can work with you to determine which one is best for you, so you can enter the U.S. legally.
