The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), a new fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
It is anticipated that ESTA screening will become mandatory for VWP travelers on January 12, 2009. However, DHS will begin accepting voluntary ESTA registrations on August 1, 2008 at the following website: www.cbp.gov/esta
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.
In most cases, ESTA will provide an almost immediate determination of eligibility for travel under the VWP. An approved ESTA travel authorization is:
- valid for up to two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first;
- valid for multiple entries into the U.S.; and
- not 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.
Learn more about ESTA and these VWP changes on:
- the DHS Customs and Border Protection (CBP) ESTA webpages (in English)
- the State Department Visa Waiver Program webpages (in English)
