whats this ESTA fee/process for? i am travelling to the USA

mstar

hello

i got a good deal with a travel agent for only be told after all booking confirmed to make sure i register on the: http://www.esta-uk.org/
(or other ESTA website esta.us) but this is a additional £20 fee for this authorisation for "Any person who intends to visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program and is entering the U.S. by air or sea"

has other people visited the USA (NYC is where i am going) had to do this too? or is this another un-necessary thing and paying? i would think at the airport u do this anyway is they want u to??

torbrex

It has to be done but it is free.

fiscalfreckles

DO NOT PAY for this.

It is free, and anybody who tries to charge you is just taking money for nothing.

You do have to do it though.

This is the official, FREE, website:

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html?_flowExecutionKey=_c298A5966-B5C2-427D-D2F7-AFCAB619235D_kEB64B523-84B2-152C-CD3B-3CE114149F99

Bob_the_Saver

mstar wrote: »

hello

i got a good deal with a travel agent for only be told after all booking confirmed to make sure i register on the: http://www.esta-uk.org/
(or other ESTA website esta.us) but this is a additional £20 fee for this authorisation for "Any person who intends to visit the United States under the Visa Waiver Program and is entering the U.S. by air or sea"

has other people visited the USA (NYC is where i am going) had to do this too? or is this another un-necessary thing and paying? i would think at the airport u do this anyway is they want u to??

Disclaimer: ESTA.us is not affiliated with any U.S. government agency. ESTA.us is a U.S. Travel Authorization service provider. The information in this website and in our publications should be used for information purposed only, not as legal advice. Please review our Terms and Conditions for more information. SO DON'T USE THEM

See the link below

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html?_flowExecutionKey=_c3E679B44-8516-4244-0375-4585CC8E52F1_kD4C1D1F8-E4AD-323E-3352-B2D85852842D

M4RKM

i would think at the airport u do this anyway is they want u to??

Airports don't know you til you get there, then all they want you to do is spend money.
Airlines want to take your money, and drop you off at your location. It is not up to them to make sure that your visa or visa waiver is in order.
Ultimately it is your responsibility to ensure you are allowed to travel to the country of your choosing. Applying for an ESTA is correct, but the official website is free of charge. I'd love to know if your travel agent, gave you that address to go to, or if you googled it, and looked at the sponsored results, rather than the normal results below. The official ESTA site is always number 1 listing in google, (not sponsored results) and sites that you mention normally appear in the paid results at the top of the page (sponsored results)

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html is the actual site, without the session timer, so you won't get an error when going onto it first..

alanrowell

mstar wrote: »

has other people visited the USA (NYC is where i am going) had to do this too? or is this another un-necessary thing and paying? i would think at the airport u do this anyway is they want u to??

It's a LEGAL requirement in order to enter the US under the VWP. You need to register - and be accepted - before you travel otherwise your visit to the US will consist of a detention cell with other illegal immigrants and if you are really lucky an overnight stay in a local jail for which you will shackled. I believe the orange overalls are still optional though.

So register - but do it through an official site where it is FREE, not one that exists to screw the foolish

alanrowell

Since when do airlines know your ESTA status?

pennylane99

alanrowell wrote: »

Since when do airlines know your ESTA status?

on Virgins website

An ESTA check has now been added to our check-in systems on US routes starting with the VS43 Gatwick to Las Vegas service on 12 August. This means that all visa waiver nationals (unless they have a visa or residency card) will only be able to travel if they have a confirmed travel authority via the ESTA website. The system will be activated on all other US routes over the next few weeks.

pennylane99

it came into force last year, but its only now that airlines are adding it to their systems.

I have travelled many times to the US during the last year, and not once has the airline asked for ESTA, or US Immigration for that matter.

The Visa Waiver forms are still being used.

pennylane99

APIS and ESTA are 2 different requirements, run by 2 different systems

wallofbeans

i got one of these forms (for free!) earlier this year when I went to NYC.. I printed it out and took with me but now I cant find it... do i need to fill it all in again?? I was under the impression that it lasted for 2 years...