USA travel - registration online Jan 2009 onwards

alanrowell

Incapuppy wrote: »

This has been covered quite extensively in a recent thread but I cannot for the life of me find it.

A couple of people got rather upset when I described it as a "Visa" (including quotes), accused me scaremongering and so had the posting deleted

Anyhow here is the information you will have to provide for this this non-visa

· Name
· Date of Birth
· Passport information
· Flight Number (which we understand can be added at a later date)
· Destination address (which we understand can be added at a later date)
· Communicable diseases
· Arrests and convictions
· Past visa history

http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/esta/esta_faq.xml

Whilst this is required with the VWP, it will become harder to "cheat" the system by saying that you haven't committed genocide when you have.

Note also that - as I claimed - the US government does reserve the right to charge for this service and I'm really impressed by the intention to retain all this information for 75 years.

Still trying to work out if airlines will have access to the scheme so they can check your validity for travel or if they'll take your word for it that you have a valid non-visa. Could get very interesting at either check-in or the US port of entry depending on what the answer is

dzug1

alanrowell wrote: »

Note also that - as I claimed - the US government does reserve the right to charge for this service

Well yes but they already charge for visa waivers - either directly if you arrive by land or indirectly by airport fees/taxes if you arrive by air. So not a change in principle

secondtoughest

I'm going to the States in September and again over Christmas. Is it worth me filling this in now, just to cover me? Its likely I'll be going again in the next 2 years anyway.

I like to just get things done so I don't have to worry about it anymore.

Erikin_2

To answer the OP question regarding emergencies.

*ESTA has been designed to allow for the accommodation of last minute and emergency travellers

*Travellers are not required to have specific plans to travel to the United States under the VWP before they apply for an ESTA authorization.

*DHS recommends that an ESTA approval be obtained as soon as a VWP traveller begins to plan a trip to the United States

* The ESTA web-based system will be available for voluntary applications after Aug. 1, 2008. ( https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. - site not yet in operation). Travellers who do not fill in the forms will be barred from boarding an aircraft or vessel bound for the US.

*The green visa waiver form filled out on the aircraft disappears.

hansi

DHS recommends that an ESTA approval be obtained as soon as a VWP traveller begins to plan a trip to the United States





The way I read the form is that you must enter your flight details, so you can't apply as soon as you think you might travel. You have to have flights booked.

dzug1

hansi wrote: »

DHS recommends that an ESTA approval be obtained as soon as a VWP traveller begins to plan a trip to the United States





The way I read the form is that you must enter your flight details, so you can't apply as soon as you think you might travel. You have to have flights booked.

Flight details are not flagged as a mandatory field - so no, you don't have to have flights booked. (You don't have to arrive by air at all...)

sturll

Yeah i just filled it in and you dont have to fill in flight details. Just PP and name etc.

Took 2 minutes and got an immediate response. I think there has been a lot of hype over nothing at all.

hansi

I have hit a snag on the site. Because my previous passport was renewed before it expired, which I had to do because I needed to comply with the six month requirement, it had the additional months added to my new passport. When I entered these details on the registration site, I got a message saying "
Passport Issuance Date more than 10 years from the Passport Expire Date. " Any idea how this can be overcome?

dzug1

hansi wrote: »

I have hit a snag on the site. Because my previous passport was renewed before it expired, which I had to do because I needed to comply with the six month requirement, it had the additional months added to my new passport. When I entered these details on the registration site, I got a message saying "
Passport Issuance Date more than 10 years from the Passport Expire Date. " Any idea how this can be overcome?

I don't think it can. You could try putting in an incorrect ISSUE date that is 10 years from the expire date but that could come back and bite you. I wouldn't mess with the expire date.

Presumably this is one of the issues that have to be ironed out before it goes fully live in January

skr80

can be done online now - but visa waiver forms (handed out on plane) will still be required until January 09