Getting Married, Passport and ESTA

shanejago

dont worry you dont need ESTA - read on -
I recently returned from Florida. I followed all the panic ESTA instructions, so duly completed the ESTA application online and for my wife and children, which took 30 minutes. Whilst flying on Virgin to Orlando on 17 Feb 2010 was confronted during the flight by the old green I-94 form. I explained that I did not need that as I had already completed the ESTA online. No was the reply, 'you need both'. When going through immigration later that day the I-94 was stamped as usual, and I produced the ESTA. IT WAS NOT REQUIRED. 'We don't need that, we haven't adopted that form yet'.

ferf1223

shanejago wrote: »

dont worry you dont need ESTA - read on -
I recently returned from Florida. I followed all the panic ESTA instructions, so duly completed the ESTA application online and for my wife and children, which took 30 minutes. Whilst flying on Virgin to Orlando on 17 Feb 2010 was confronted during the flight by the old green I-94 form. I explained that I did not need that as I had already completed the ESTA online. No was the reply, 'you need both'. When going through immigration later that day the I-94 was stamped as usual, and I produced the ESTA. IT WAS NOT REQUIRED. 'We don't need that, we haven't adopted that form yet'.

Seriously - bad advice. Just because you also had to fill out the I-94 does not mean that ESTA is not required. You won't need to produce a printed anything for ESTA it's held electronically so I am not surprised that they didn't want to see the print out.

ESTA is a mandatory requirement and has been mandatory since earlier this year - to suggest to people that they don't need to bother is just crazy.

luci

Ditto, that is seriously bad advice.

We have travelled several times since the ESTA was introduced. On one occasion at Immigration we were asked if we had completed it. I said we had and did he want to see the print out? He said he didn't need to as he could see on his screen that we had completed it.

lfc321

I third that: it is terrible advice.

Of course you wouldn't normally get to test shanejago's theory because (unless you enter by land from Canada or Mexico or something) you won't be showing up at US immigration without having done ESTA: your airline won't let you board the flight.

dzug1

shanejago wrote: »

dont worry you dont need ESTA - read on -
I recently returned from Florida. I followed all the panic ESTA instructions, so duly completed the ESTA application online and for my wife and children, which took 30 minutes. Whilst flying on Virgin to Orlando on 17 Feb 2010 was confronted during the flight by the old green I-94 form. I explained that I did not need that as I had already completed the ESTA online. No was the reply, 'you need both'. When going through immigration later that day the I-94 was stamped as usual, and I produced the ESTA. IT WAS NOT REQUIRED. 'We don't need that, we haven't adopted that form yet'.

You have seriously misunderstood what you were told and turned it into bad advice.

You cannot produce a piece of paper called an ESTA - there is no such thing. An ESTA is an entry in an electronic database. It doesn't exist in any other form. The immigration guy doesn't need the print out - that's what he was telling you, maybe not very clearly. He just needs to see it in his computer. If it's not there - tough, piece of paper or not. You are in deep trouble.

FH_Brit

You can call yourself anything - you don't need a licence or any form of legal permission. However the evidence you submit to get a passport must be in your new name[/QUOTE]

(As long as you are not calling yourself something to avoid taxes or for fraudulent purposes)

FH_Brit

alanrowell wrote: »

And what happens if the ESTA is refused?

Or there's a mistake in the passport and it doesn't match the plane tickets?

All the more reason to check & doubler check your passport when it arrives and send it back for correction.

Why would you not have got the passport corrected immediately after it was issued? To "not bother" you are creating the problem yourself and you cannot blame anyone else when it goes wrong.

FH_Brit

shanejago wrote: »

dont worry you dont need ESTA - read on -
I recently returned from Florida. I followed all the panic ESTA instructions, so duly completed the ESTA application online and for my wife and children, which took 30 minutes. Whilst flying on Virgin to Orlando on 17 Feb 2010 was confronted during the flight by the old green I-94 form. I explained that I did not need that as I had already completed the ESTA online. No was the reply, 'you need both'. When going through immigration later that day the I-94 was stamped as usual, and I produced the ESTA. IT WAS NOT REQUIRED. 'We don't need that, we haven't adopted that form yet'.

Very irresponsible and foolish - You need ESTA and think you "followed all the panic ESTA instructions" = So you did what you were supposed to, just think if you did not you would have been refused entry to the USA. The ESTA is a system used by the Office of Homeland Security to scrutinized you "long" before you travel. And if refused you would need to go to the US Embassy (one of our patients was refused because someone with the same name was "dodgy" and she thought it was because we had reported her as a bad debtor as she had not paid her medical bills).

If you have read SHANEJAGO's post and you think that you do not need an ESTA = dont risk it = contact the US Embassy and ask (or see their website) THEY are the people who let you enter the USA and NOT SHANEJAGO!

Asking MSE to remove this extremely irresponsible post

FH_Brit

lfc321 wrote: »

I third that: it is terrible advice.

Of course you wouldn't normally get to test shanejago's theory because (unless you enter by land from Canada or Mexico or something) you won't be showing up at US immigration without having done ESTA: your airline won't let you board the flight.

Point of interest - If you are travelling on British (and other VWP member countries) passport, you still need an ESTA to enter the USA.

The rule is no different if you enter the USA via another country, in fact the boarder crossing from Mexico is mre stringent than some other ports of entry in ther USA as they attempt to prevent illegal immigrants arriving.

dzug1

FH_Brit wrote: »

Point of interest - If you are travelling on British (and other VWP member countries) passport, you still need an ESTA to enter the USA.

The rule is no different if you enter the USA via another country, in fact the boarder crossing from Mexico is mre stringent than some other ports of entry in ther USA as they attempt to prevent illegal immigrants arriving.

Unless the rules have changed very recently (which is possible), you do NOT need an ESTA if arriving by land.

The London Embassy website still says land arrivals do not need ESTA

http://www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/esta.html

Given that it's free (at the moment) you might as well get one anyway