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I am travelling to the US next week and want to check I have it right about how the ESTA system works.

Other answers like this this one, describe what the process is and how to apply, but do not explain how it is actually implemented; what exactly you do at customs or what you need to print or bring.

I have a UK passport. I have registered with ESTA online and submitted the form. My application was approved and when I go on the ESTA website, it says Approved.

So is that it? I just get off the plane and go up the immigration officer with my passport? I don't need any stamp, any e-mail, to quote any number or anything? It's all done electronically?

Believe it or not; I can't find any definitive description of the process online. There are just statements like, "You must get ESTA approval before travelling, etc." - statements that assume you know what that means, exactly. So if anyone has recently travelled to the US using ESTA, I'd be interested to hear if I have it correct.

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Oscar Bravo
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2 Answers2

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Yep, that's it.

You apply online and get approved, and pay online.

You can print it off if it gives you some more anxiety, but literally when I've used it, I walk up, the official goes "do you have a visa or are you on ESTA?", and he scans the passport and has always found it. I've usually had the approval number or whatever on me, but I've never needed to show it.

The airline might ask for evidence of it, however.

It's pretty smooth, I get more questions about what I plan on doing in the US, rather than how I enter it.

Note that it's not a guarantee that you'll be granted access into the US.

As an aside it's reasonably easy to get info on this online from the official sites:

From CBP.gov:

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. Some airlines require the printout upon check-in, please check with your respective airline.

and also from CBP.gov:

Do I need to bring a printed copy of my ESTA application with me to the airport?

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. Also, some airlines may ask you to bring a copy, in which case you should print it out. If you applied for ESTA and you have forgotten your application number, you may retrieve the application through the ESTA website by entering the applicants name, date of birth, passport number and passport issuing country.

Mark Mayo
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The ESTA system is pretty much all done electronically - you apply at least 72 hours before you depart, then simply arrive. Obviously you need to present the passport you used to apply for the ESTA waiver.

However there are a few things I think it's good to be aware of, insomuch as they applied to me when I travelled earlier this year - the situation may have changed by the time you read this:

  1. If you apply for an ESTA for transit, then within the ESTA validity period you wish to visit the US, then you'll need to reapply for the ESTA waiver and pay the fee again. Sadly, although you can change a few details of a current ESTA, you can't change the type. If you find yourself transiting on the way back less than 3 days following a visit, then I'm not sure what you do! Perhaps the answer is to always apply for visit, just in case.

  2. When you arrive, there's probably a queue with a sign that says something like "queue here if you've got an ESTA and have visited the US in the last two years" plus a few other conditions. This is an accelerated border process for people who have already been through the ESTA arrival process at least once, recently. However, be aware that this isn't the whole story - don't do what I did and stand in that queue for thirty minutes only to find out that you need to have visited within the last two years on the same passport - and that doesn't include renewals! Almost missed my connecting flight.

  3. It's always a good idea to carry hard-copy facsimiles of all travel documentation. You may never need it, but it seems sensible to me to carry them.

The ESTA program is pretty good though - sometime prior to this travellers to the US from my country had to travel all the way to the one and only US Embassy in the country to get permission to visit, which in some cases might take an entire day of domestic travel and was a significant nuisance.

davidA
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