From 12 January 2009, all nationals or citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure will require an approved electronic travel authorization prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the United States under the VWP. 

 

The traveler can obtain an electronic travel authorization by entering their information at the following website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

 

After 12 January 2009, Visa Waiver Program travellers who do not obtain an electronic travel authorization may be denied boarding.

 

The Visa Waiver Program is a program established by the US government to enable citizens of a number of countries to enter the US without a visa. Further details on the Visa Waiver Program are available here:

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/vwp.html

 

To apply for a travel authorization, travelers will log on to the ESTA web-based system (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov)  and complete an application online providing the biographical and eligibility information currently required on the paper I-94W form.  The ESTA web-based system has been available for voluntary applications since 1 August 2008.  

 

ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States, and VWP travelers are encouraged to apply for authorization as soon as they begin to plan a trip to the United States.  If applicants’ destination addresses or itineraries should change after their authorization has been approved, they may easily update that information through the ESTA website. 

 

Once an ESTA application has been successfully completed and submitted online, the application will be queried against appropriate law enforcement databases.  ESTA application data will remain active for the period of time that the ESTA authorization is valid.  DHS will maintain this information for an additional year, and then will archive the information for twelve years to allow retrieval of the information for law enforcement and investigatory purposes.

 

In most cases, ESTA will provide an almost immediate determination of eligibility for travel under the VWP.  Possible responses include:  Authorization Approved, Travel Not Authorized, or Authorization Pending.

 

An approved ESTA travel authorization is:

 

It is not, however, a guarantee of admissibility to the United States at a port of entry.  ESTA approval only authorizes a traveler to board a carrier for travel to the U.S. under the VWP.  In all cases, CBP officers make admissibility determinations at our ports of entry. (For additional information, please visit “Know Before You Go” at www.cbp.gov/travel.)

 

In the event that an ESTA applicant is denied authorization to travel to the United States under the VWP, he or she will have to apply for a visa to travel to the United States.  This process is similar to the current practice, in which VWP travelers who arrive at a United States port of entry and are determined by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) to be ineligible for admission under the VWP may be returned to their country of origin to apply for a visa to enter the United States.  It will be far more convenient for most travelers to receive this notification before commencing travel.

 

Accompanied and unaccompanied children, regardless of age, will be required to obtain an independent ESTA authorization and determination of eligibility.  VWP travelers who fail to obtain an ESTA travel authorization after ESTA becomes mandatory may be denied boarding, experience delayed processing, or be denied admission at a U.S. port of entry.

 

Travelers are not required to have specific plans to travel to the United States under the VWP before they apply for an ESTA authorization.