Copied from a Poste by Chris Leadbeater, Travel Writer, TravelMail
A few (relatively) quick words on ESTA (or the ‘Electronic System for Travel Authorisation’, to use its mouthful of a proper title), the now mandatory and soon to be charged-for requirement for anyone wishing to make their merry way to the USA.
I wrote a blog on this in November 2008, when ESTA was still a twinkle in George W. Bush’s eye. Introduced two months later (in January 2009) as an optional part of travel to America, it has since – as of January 2010 – been made compulsory. Simply, if you do not submit a successful ESTA application – a process that takes your passport number, date of birth and other details, and uses them to check that you are a person without criminal record or any other black mark that might disbar you from entering the country – before you try to fly to the States, then you won’t be allowed onto the plane.
Why mention this again? Mainly for the reason that, although the ESTA application
process has been free up to now, as of September 8th, it will come with a charge – $14 (£9). But if you apply in the next seven days, the system is still gratis – so this is something worth doing (click here for the official ESTA site). Granted, £9 is not a vast amount, but with an application needed for every traveller, that quickly stacks up to £36 for a family of four – a sharp poke in the bank balance that you probably don’t need at a time when Air Passenger Duty is adding an extra levy onto the cost of travel.
Happily, the number that you are given if your application is successful does not apply to any particular journey – it is valid for two years (or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner), and for multiple trips. So if you think you might be flying across the Pond any time soon, my advice is to complete an application before September 8th rolls around. You don’t need to supply specific details of when you will be arriving and where you will be staying – and it makes sense. Times are tight, every penny counts, no use wasting cash, cor blimey gov, we’ve just come out of recession etc etc.
A second reason for writing about ESTA again is that it still seems to be a source of confusion. Comments have appeared steadily at the bottom of my original blog, some telling tales of woe, others reporting the plainest of sailing. So, in short, your ESTA number replaces the I-94 form – the green card that you formerly had to fill in, usually on a wobbly plane tray-table, then hand to the immigration officer on arrival. Basically, ESTA is a stream-lining of the square-dance for entering the US. It does not guarantee you a passport stamp, but it is less fiddly than the previous situation.
Applying is also – though the comments on my previous blog imply that this is not always the case – pretty straight-forward. Having not visited the US for 18 months or so, I finally submitted my application last week, and found that it was approved almost as soon as the final mouse click had sent my personal minutiae into cyberspace.
That said, a third reason for returning to this topic is the concern that many people are not so much confused about ESTA as entirely unaware of its existence. I flew out of Gatwick a fortnight ago (not to America) and noticed that the boards behind the Virgin Atlantic desks were reminding passengers that an ESTA number is now a must-have. If I were picky, I might say that highlighting this matter just as people are trying to check in for a flight they have already paid for is akin to closing the stable door when the horse is halfway to the horizon wearing a fake moustache and a wig – but the fact that Virgin feel the need to point this out indicates that there is something of a problem here. Admittedly, in these days of iPhones and PDAs, you could, theoretically, apply for an ESTA at the check-in desk (though you are supposed to do so at least 72 hours before you fly) – but then, this is an extra thing to worry about in the fraught environment of an airport when you are already late and have to make your way through security.
Of course, the issue of why we should have to pay for permission to enter a country with whom we have a longstanding alliance – and which accepts some four million Britons a year, most of them travelling for holidays – is a distinctly thorny one. Officially, the $14 fee has been brought in to help raise a marketing fund to promote the USA as a tourist destination. That this money is being raised from tourists already fully aware of America’s charms is an irony that seems to be lost on those involved.
Nonetheless, ESTA is now a fixture and – as of next week – demanding of a credit card. So, to repeat, click here to apply. A wave of unofficial ESTA sites have sprouted online in the wake of its introduction. Ignore them. This is the only site you should use.
(You can find further clarification on ESTA here, from the Visit USA website).
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