Visa Services, U.S. Embassy London » ESTA

Just read about the fee for travelers registering under ESTA. I have a valid ESTA, will I be required to submit a new registration when the fee is introduced?

visaservices — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:41:22 +0000

No. If you have a valid registration under ESTA, you will not be required to re-register on September 8, 2010 when the fee is introduced. A regisration under ESTA is valid for two years from the date it is authorized or until the date on which the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first. You will be subject to the new fee, however, if your registration expires and you re-register on or after September 8, 2010.

Just read the press reports about the ESTA fee. How can I pay it?

visaservices — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 12:33:18 +0000

The fee will be payable at the time you submit a registration. Payment will be by credit card - Visa, American Express, MasterCard or Discover or debit card – Visa or MasterCard.

Remember the fee will not be introduced until September 8, 2010.

ESTA Fee to be introduced

visaservices — Mon, 09 Aug 2010 11:09:54 +0000

On September 8, 2010 a new fee of $14.00 is to be introduced for Visa Waiver Program travelers registering under ESTA. A fee of $4.00 will recover the costs incurred by the Department of Homeland Security of providing and administering the ESTA system and is in addition to the mandatory $10.00 travel promotion fee established by the Travel Promotion Act (TPA) of 2009. Please see the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website for further information.

The I-94W Goes Paperless!

visaservices4 — Tue, 22 Jun 2010 13:17:08 +0000

During the month of July 2010 the I-94W completed by Visa Waiver Program travelers entering the United States by air or sea is being phased out. Please check with your carrier for further information. The I-94W is the arrival/departure record card handed to travelers by the carrier which is completed and presented to U.S. immigration at the Port of Entry.

Travelers who do not complete the I-94W will have their period of admission written into a stamp in their passport. The I-94W will continue to be used by travelers entering the United States by land and the I-94 by travelers in possession of a valid visa. Further information is available from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.

Traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program after January 20?

visaservices — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 15:03:42 +0000

If you are traveling to the United States visa free under the Visa Waiver Program, you are required to register under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization before boarding the air or sea carrier. If you fail to do so, you should expect to be denied boarding by the carrier.

I registered under ESTA a couple of weeks ago and it was successful. At the time I didn’t print a copy of the registration as I didn’t think it necessary. Now my travel agent is saying that unless I can provide a copy of the form I will not be able to travel. How can I retrieve the form as I did not save it!

visaservices — Sun, 31 May 2009 11:21:33 +0000

If you did not keep your reference number it is not possible to retrive your registration. You will be required to re-register. The old number will automatically be cancelled, and a new number generated for you.

You may want to check with the tour operator exactly why they are asking you to furnish a copy of the registration. If travel has been authorized under ESTA the information is transmitted to the airlines or sea carrier. You are not required to present evidence of your registration at check-in.

I have attempted to register under ESTA but the site appears to be down. Is there another site that I can use?

visaservices — Wed, 27 May 2009 09:50:44 +0000

We are aware that travelers have been experiencing problems logging on to the ESTA site when using the web browser Google Chrome. If you are one of those travelers affected by this, we suggest that you use a non-beta browser to register. But remember that there is only one official site and that is https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

I am confused. I have a valid U.S. visa do I also need to register under ESTA?

visaservices — Fri, 22 May 2009 08:14:02 +0000

If you hold a valid U.S. visa you are NOT required to register under ESTA before traveling to the United States. ESTA applies only to those traveling visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. If you have yet to determined your eligibility to travel visa free, let our Visa Wizard help you decide.

I recently submitted my ESTA application on a non-government website. I have been charged a fee, which I am refusing to pay because I now realise that I could have registered for free on the Embassy’s website. Is this ESTA valid?

visaservices — Thu, 21 May 2009 14:44:37 +0000

The U.S. governement currently does not charge a fee for registering under ESTA. If you have not used the official U.S. government website to submit your regsitration, we recommend that you re-register on the offiical site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Before doing so, you should check out your eligibility to travel visa free under the Visa Waiver Program. Remember only those travelers eligible to travel visa free should register under ESTA.

From September 8, 2010, the Department of Homeland Security will begin collecting a fee from travelers registering under ESTA. The fee will be $14.00 and will include $10.00 collected pursuant to the Travel Promotion Act (TPA) and a fee of $4.00 for administering ESTA.

Can I hold more than one ESTA? I cannot remember if I filled in more than one form!

visaservices — Wed, 20 May 2009 12:59:39 +0000

You need not be concerned. If you have registered more than once, any subsequent registration will override the initial one. You can check on the status of your ESTA registration by visiting the official ESTA website. You will require your registration number in order to do this.

If you have lost your registration number, then you will be required to re-register.