Do i have a valid us tourist visa or not??

grai

I'm going to the US on Sunday and went on usa-esta-visa.co.uk and applied for a visa

I THOUGHT it was the official US website - it was dressed up to look like it

but it cost me £49:99

and when it was emailed the attatchment wouldnt open

they DID answer their phone and I told them I am pc illiterate and didnt know what pdf. was and could they send me a picture of my visa to print out which they did

but now I'm wondering - is this a scam? will I get to JFK on Sunday and be told I've been riopped off and can't enter the US?

anyone know what a vaild US tourist visa looks like?

Radish72

This is the official site

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

If you click on Retrieve Application and see what that gives you

Found some instructions

At the Welcome Page, select "Retrieve Application" under "Retrieve Previously Submitted Authorization to Travel to the United States for One or More Persons". At the next screen select the correct button for retrieving one application or a group of applications.

Retrieve One Application

1. Enter the passport number and date of birth.
2. If you know the application number, enter the number. If you do not know the application number, enter the family name, first (given) name and passport issuing country.
3. Click Continue for the application.

grai

thanks so much radish - it's been approved

this is why I never leave home!

thanks for your help you're a star - I can sleep tonight XX

RaiderHammer

But for others... I think you have been charged in excess of what you would have been charged if you went direct to,official site. Basically it appears you have used an agent to get it and they have charged you extra... I assume that is. Not applied for a Esta recently so don't know the cost.

Thomas_Hardy

RaiderHammer wrote: »

But for others... I think you have been charged in excess of what you would have been charged if you went direct to,official site. Basically it appears you have used an agent to get it and they have charged you extra... I assume that is. Not applied for a Esta recently so don't know the cost.

Way over the odds - the official site charges $14.

grai, just to be aware you do not have a visa, you have a visa waiver (i.e. you don't need a visa). It doesn't make a difference to you, but if asked by an official you applied under the visa waiver program. People that needs visas tend to have criminal convictions and hence do not qualify for the VWP

Archergirl

I hate it when this happens to people I wish the genuine ones were the first in the list 'cos they are the ones people tend to click on.

Radish72

grai wrote: »

thanks so much radish - it's been approved

this is why I never leave home!

thanks for your help you're a star - I can sleep tonight XX

Good to hear, have a fab time in the USA

Pollycat

Archergirl wrote: »

I hate it when this happens to people I wish the genuine ones were the first in the list 'cos they are the ones people tend to click on.

Lots of these types of websites.

Beware when applying for/renewing EHIC, booking driving tests (yes, really), applying for passports - and there's probably more.

jpsartre

grai wrote: »

talking to a human being would have not left me open to being ripped off

If you'd shown a modicum of vigilance before sending of your online application you would have had the same result.

claire16c

I'm pretty sure calling them was a LOT quicker than a visit to the US embassy would have been! Especially if we all had to go there just to get an esta! My god the queue would be weeks long.

zerog

Calling who? You can't apply for an ESTA on the phone.