Please read the below key information before filling out your online ESTA application!
This ESTA VISA application is meant for all USA visitors that have citizenship from a country included in the Visa Waiver Program.
Aside from being a citizen from a Visa Waiver country, this ESTA online form applies only to those individuals that correspond to the following criteria:
- Purpose of travel is personal travel, transit or business (excluding employment);
- Duration of visit does not exceed 90 days;
- Mode of transport into the USA will be by air or sea.
- You do not have an active Visa already.
Please take your time filling out the ESTA VISA application form carefully. Once one is filled out with the necessary information, click “Continue”. If you are unsure of something in a previous page, you may click “Back” and edit or proofread the necessary fields.
Please also keep in mind throughout the whole ESTA application form the following points:
- All information has to be filled out in English;
- For each traveller to the USA one separate ESTA VISA application has to be filled out;
- Information with * (star prefix) is mandatory.
Please enter information associated with your online presence.
We encourage you to have the following information by hand to ensure a smoother application process:
- Passport;
- GE Membership number (if you have one);
- Current or previous employment information (also the address);
- Address and contact information of a place you will be staying in the USA (e.g., hotel).
Also, even if you meet all four of the above criteria, we highly encourage reading our FAQ page as there may be special cases where an ESTA travel authorization may not apply to you (e.g., dual citizenship from a non-Visa Waiver country).
For more on what is the Visa Waiver Program and the participating countries in it, read here.
Once you submit your ESTA application, it should take from 3 to 5 business days to receive an answer on your ESTA travel application status. Usually, however, if all the information is correctly provided and up to date, you can expect an answer sooner on the status of your ESTA visa.
Nevertheless, we do not advise you to leave your ESTA application form until the last moment. We highly advise to fill the ESTA application form no later than 72 hours prior to your departure to the USA.
As you know one ESTA form is meant to be filled out by one person, you cannot use it for multiple people (e.g., family members you will be travelling with). You are allowed to fill out a new application form on behalf of other people, e.g., your children who are under 18 years of age.
As stated above, you may travel in the U.S. territory for up to 90 days with your approved ESTA, however, please note that even though your ESTA has been checked and approved for travel, U.S. custom officials hold the right to deny entry to you if they see something suspicious. One of the examples may be that you are abusing your ESTA within the 2 year validity period, meaning, you are traveling in and out of the country too frequently, as one would with a proper Visa.
If this is your first time applying for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) then you should know that it is valid for 2 (two) years from the date of ESTA approval. The only exception to this rule is if your passport expires before the 2-year ESTA expiration date. If this is the case, you must apply for a new ESTA to travel to the USA.
All information submitted via this online ESTA application form will only be used by the U.S. officials to determine whether to approve or deny your ESTA application, no information will be used by third-parties.
