Esta for one night stay?

davidscot

Hello and hopefully someone can give us the definitive answer here.
We are going on a cruise in May and to start with we have an overnight stay in Miami. Do we need both to get an ESTA for even just a one night stop-over?
Asked at the travel agent but they could not give us an answer - in fact the quote was ' I think you need to find that out yourself' so customer relations is not a strong point - but anyway can anyone help. Thanks

pollypenny

I!!!8217;m pretty sure you do need an ESTA.

Use Martin's link to ensure you don!!!8217;t end up on a rogue site.

Caz3121

davidscot wrote: »

Do we need both to get an ESTA for even just a one night stop-over?
Asked at the travel agent but they could not give us an answer - in fact the quote was ' I think you need to find that out yourself' so customer relations is not a strong point - but anyway can anyone help.

a travel agent may not know whether you qualify for an ESTA or whether you need to go through the visa process so it is the passengers responsibility
You will need a visa or ESTA for a flight to the USA (even if you were getting on another flight to leave the US within hours of arrival) Without an ESTA or visa you will likely not be able to board the flight

Robin9

Yes - I needed just for a flight refuel/turnaround of 3 hours in LA

davidscot

Caz3121 wrote: »

a travel agent may not know whether you qualify for an ESTA or whether you need to go through the visa process so it is the passengers responsibility
You will need a visa or ESTA for a flight to the USA (even if you were getting on another flight to leave the US within hours of arrival) Without an ESTA or visa you will likely not be able to board the flight

Yes agree they may not know but you would think the answer would be - I am not sure but I could find out for you - but we will get an ESTA each

pimento

Yes, we transited LA on the way home from New Zealand. Never left the transit lounge and we needed one. I was well annoyed because I also had to up my travel insurance to include the US and it cost quite a lot extra.

Caz3121

davidscot wrote: »

Yes agree they may not know but you would think the answer would be - I am not sure but I could find out for you - but we will get an ESTA each

make sure you buy on the official site for $14 each
I suspect airlines and agents pass the responsibility to passengers to find out the information themselves so they cannot be accused of giving incorrect information...(for anyone to give accurate information they would need to know what countries you have visited in the past, your criminal history etc)
We did a cruise from Miami last year and the ship ended up sailing without a couple of passengers that were detained by immigration at Miami as, although the passenger had an ESTA it became evident when they arrived that, due to a passport stamp, they should not have qualified for one so had to arrange visas ...they caught up with the ship 2 days later and every US port we entered (was round Virgin Islands) had delayed clearance as they came onboard to 'interview' the passenger...

stevie11

If the OP holds a passport from a country within the Visa Waiver Program they will need an esta if they are flying into the US. The FAQ's https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/application.html?execution=e1s1# may help.

heatherw_01

You need an ESTA to enter the USA no matter for how long you are staying

PompeyPete

It's the travellers own responsibility to find out the Entry Requirements.....the ticket supplier will point the customer in the right direction to find that information, which is usually the UK FCO Travel Advice website for the country being visited. Every traveller should visit that website anyway as it contains all manner of information which might be useful.

Failing to Plan = Planning to Fail.

DigForVictory

If there is any doubt, get it. It's a faff & a hassle but a load better than having a holiday mangled by anxious immigration officials with Trump dictated targets...
Hoping the peace of mind is worth the cost of a couple of exotic margueritas each?! Happy hols!