Procedure for applying for an ESTA
All travelers planning to visit the U.S. for leisure or business purposes must initiate the ESTA process prior to their trip. This formality for a trip to the USA is for citizens of countries eligible for the Visa Waiver Program.
By applying for the ESTA document, you will have the opportunity to stay for 90 days on American soil. You can complete this formality in a few minutes by clicking on the online form.
To apply for ESTA you will need:
- a valid passport;
- a valid credit card to pay the processing fee;
- all your personal information (contact information, names and surnames of your parents).
Before you begin the process, make sure you also meet the requirements for obtaining the program:
- you have a passport;
- you are traveling via a company approved by the Visa Waiver Program;
- you have a return ticket.
The procedure to obtain your ESTA
You can get your ESTA in about 20 minutes. To do so, simply log on to the official website and make an individual request.
The ESTA form is a long document to fill out. Several sections are proposed to you and must be completed with great attention. First, you will find questions about your identity (first and last name, date of birth, telephone number).
The following questions concern your stay and your passport. Enter your passport number, your departure city and your flight number.
In the final stage, you will be asked to read and answer “yes” or “no” to ten very specific questions about your legal history, your relationship to American law, and your health.
Verification and validation
Two steps are still to come: the verification of your data and then the validation of the latter. Taking the time to proofread your ESTA questionnaire is of the utmost importance: noticing an error too late can make it invalid. You will have to reapply or go to the embassy or consulate.
The payment
Finally, users are asked to paya processing fee of a minimum of $21. In most cases, acceptance of the ESTA form is almost immediate. When a longer delay is required, a response will be sent to you within 72 hours.