USA ESTA Visa: Requirements Articulated

Posted by ESTA VISA on May 2nd, 2019

After several terrorist attacks in the USA, the government of the USA had introduced ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) in January 2009. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) determines the eligibility of foreign nationals to travel to the USA under the Visa Waiver Program and answers the frequently asked questions regarding the Visa Waiver Program. In order to obtain ESTA, the applicants are required to produce various documents and meet several requirements such as passport, travel purpose, application, et al. Many of these requirements are consistent with those introduced under the visa waiver program in 1988 while some of them have continuously been undergoing amendments. Keep on reading to get into the details of these requirements to not miss a chance of obtaining a USA ESTA.

Travel Requirements

The desired period of stay in the USA should be less than ninety days. The purpose of visit should be tourism and business only, although it might include vacation, visiting family and friends, receiving medical treatments, consultation with business associates, negotiating contracts with potential clients, professional events, social events, and recreations. Even if the purpose of travel is mere transit, the visitors should apply for the ESTA.

Application Requirements

When applying for USA ESTA, the eligible applicants are mandated to fill out the ESTA application form available on the official website of the USA government. It is advised to apply for the ESTA prior to the date of departure for the USA to get an approval before the departure. It takes a few minutes to maximum seventy-two hours to receive the ESTA application response, therefore, it is advised to submit the application at least 72hours prior to the travel.

Passport Requirements

Besides application form, applicants from eligible nationalities must produce their passport which contains a machine-readable section on the bio page. It must be noted that as on April 2016, the eligible candidates are mandatorily required to provide an e-passport containing a chip which holds the biometric data of the applicant. The duration of validity of ESTA is two years with a stay of not more than ninety days, thus, it is imperative for the applicant to have a valid passport when applying for ESTA and when leaving for the USA. In case, the validity of the passport expires before the expiry of the ESTA, the applicant cannot stay beyond the date of expiration of the passport.

Other Requirements

Visitors from the eligible nationalities should travel to the USA only via air or sea on an ESTA visa. Also, they should carry a return ticket or an onward ticket to a non-U.S. country while appearing at the USA airport or seaport.

Make note of the foregoing requirements of USA ESTA visa to avoid denial of entry by the Customs and Border Protection officer on arrival at the USA port and get the hassle-free entry to the nation. 

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ESTA VISA
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