subject: Be Aware About Paying Too Much For United States Esta [print this page] As of January 12, 2009, the United States government requires all travelers from the 36 participating countries under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) arriving by air or sea to obtain a valid authorization through the Electronic System Travel Authorization or online ESTA prior to traveling to the United States. This requirement is sometimes called Electronic ESTA visa and can be applied over the internet by oneself or through a travel agent and the majority of applications are approved in less than one minute.
An approved ESTA application will enable Visa Waiver Program (VWP) nationals to travel to the United States for tourism or business for a combined maximum stay in the USA and its surrounding countries of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.
Each valid travel authorization under United States ESTA is valid for up to a period of two years. However, a Visa Waiver Program traveler is again required to obtain new ESTA applications authorization if he or she is issued a new passport, or changes his or her name, gender or country of citizenship as well as if any answer to the ESTA application eligibility questions changes.
It is recommended by the U.S. Government that travelers go online to submit an authorization request three days or 72 hours before travelling to the United States. Passengers (including babies) without an ESTA may be denied to check in, although it is possible to get one while at the airport.
Before September 8, 2010 ESTA applications were available for free from the official government websites.
However, beginning September 8, 2010, under the Travel Promotion Act, a charge of $14 was introduced for ESTA. This fee is comprised of a $4.00 processing fee levied by the CBP for administration costs and a $10 authorization fee if your application is approved and you receive authorization to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. This $10 fee will go to the Corporation for Travel Promotion. However, if your electronic travel authorization is denied, you are only charged for the processing of your application, which is only $4.00.
All payments for electronic travel authorization applications are required to be made by credit card or debit card. The ESTA system currently accepts only the following credit/debit cards such as MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover. A third party, such as a relative or travel agent may also be allowed to pay the associated fees for each application. Take note, your application will not be submitted for processing until all payment information is received.
Once you have paid and completed and have satisfied the ESTA system, being determined eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP, you will then be provided 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.
Upon arrival in the US, ESTA holders are screened at the port of entry into the United States, and are enrolled in the Department of Homeland Securitys US-VISIT program.
by: Katie Gillan
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