New Visa Waiver Requirements, effective January 12, 2009
Replies: 321 - Last Post: Jan 11, 2013 5:11 AM Last Post By: katija
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Is there a fee for a travel authorization?Yes, beginning September 8, 2010, there is a fee required by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (Section 9 of the United States Capitol Police Administrative Technical Corrections Act of 2009, Pub. L. No. 111-145). The fee is comprised of two parts:
• Processing Fee. All applicants requesting an electronic travel authorization are charged for the processing of the application. The fee is $4.00.
• Authorization Fee. If your application is approved and you receive authorization to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, an additional $10.00 will be charged to your credit card. If your electronic travel authorization is denied, you are only charged for the processing of your application.
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Hi, Quickie, as I am in Samoa and the internet prices are killing me!I have an approved ESTA.
I arrive in Hawaii mid June, then on to CA.
I have an outbound ticket back to UK for 9th October 12.
I want to break the trip in two be travelling overland to Mexico then Central America, then flying back to ATL.
Will this be ok? When I arrive in Hawaii, am I going to get issues as I don't have an outbound within 90 days?
I read that time in Mexico still ticks the clock? Is this correct - does it stop once I leave Mexico?
Help,
Confused Chris
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You may well have issues when you arrive in Hawaii - indeed you may have issues getting there as the airline should check your onward ticket and refuse you boarding if you haven't got one that meets the rules.The clock continues ticking in Mexico - but stops when you leave. Problem is that the US authorities have no means of tracking that departure
That's the formal position - what will happen in reality - pass.
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Hi, thanks for this, what about if we overland into Mexico and then have a flight out of Mexico to Central America. If its within 90 days of arrival I assume this is good?!Chris
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I could use a little help here.I have read as much as possible about this ESTA programme but it seems as though every question has been answered except for the one that I need. Here's what has happened so far.
My wife and I decided to take our first holiday outside the UK for about 10 years. We had to get new passports and then we filled in the forms for the ESTA thing. All that we received at the time was a long reg number. Still plenty of time before the trip which begins mid Sept.
I went back to the website today and checked our status which says that we are both authorised to travel but that this does NOT guarantee access to the USA. But we have been model citizens so we don't foresee any problems. But our only worry is that we don't have a piece of paper to hand over at the Philly Immigration desk when the big bird drops us off there to show that we applied for this ESTA thing.
Do we just need to have the ref number to hand over or is there something else we should bring with us?
Cheers,
Steve
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But our only worry is that we don't have a piece of paper to hand over at the Philly Immigration desk when the big bird drops us off there to show that we applied for this ESTA thing.
Actually, the way it works is that ESTA is permission to travel to the US and ask to be admitted under the VWP. When you check in, the airline looks you up to see if you have ESTA clearance. If you don't, the airline will not let you board (unless, of course, you have a regular visa). The US immigration folks suggest you bring a print out of that page that shows you are OK, just i case something goes wrong.
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Hi im getting a bit confused as to what we need to doWe are UK citizens who are flying to vancouver for a few days to see fmaily then getting victoria clipper over to seattle to then drive down the coast and fly home from vegas
"ESTA is currently required for air and cruise ship travel only." now is a short ferry ride classed as a cruise ship?
the clipper site just says people who are not US or Canadian citizens may require a visa.
should we apply for ESTA just to be on the safe side? i dont want us to be penilsed for applying for it to find we just fill out a form at the port like you do with land crossings?
any advise would be greatful. we've never been to the states before and dont want to get turned away!
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The ferry crossings I have done have been treated as arrivals by land - ie no ESTA required, fill in the form on arrivalBut I've no knowledge of this particular route. I do know the company are not a participating carrier for the VWP - which means that you either need a full visa (not ESTA) or it will be treated as a land arrival. My money would be on the latter
But you won't be 'penalised' for having an ESTA if you don't need one - they will just ignore it. OK you've 'wasted' $14, but that's it. And you will have it for future visits.
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Hi,I am a European Union citizen (The Netherlands) an am currently in the US under the Visa Waiver Program, since 22 June. I am planning on going to Mexico by land, to travel for 5 or 6 weeks. As a European citizen I do not require a visa to enter Mexico, I should be able to get a tourist stamp for 90 days. I am intending to return to the US in October or November, and leaving again in late December, to go to Costa Rica.
I am worried that because I entered the US under the VWP, my stay in Mexico will lead to overstaying the waiver program. I am not trying to do a border run by staying in Mexico. Can I leave the US before my stamp expires (19 September), and re-enter the US after this date, under a new VWP? Put another way, can I "end" the current VWP when I go travel in Mexico for 6 weeks?
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