ESTA visa rules slip into place

NEW US visa regulations for visitors Stateside kicked in this month as passenger registration in advance of travel to the U.S. became mandatory.

All nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries – including the UK – are now required to obtain a travel authorization prior to travelling to the United States under the VWP.

Travellers must register for authorisation to travel online through ESTA, a free internet application that is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) through a U.S. government web site.

The DHS does not charge VWP travellers a fee for completion of an ESTA application, although some unauthorized third parties have established web sites and are charging visitors seeking to travel to the US.

Eligible visitors seeking to travel to the United States under the VWP may apply for travel authorization via the ESTA system while those without access to the internet can delegate the application to a friend, family member, colleague or their travel agent to fill out an ESTA application form on their behalf.

The site is multilingual and features 16 languages. It also has an extensive help section to guide applicants through the process.

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

You can also reach the ESTA website via www.visitusa.org.uk which has further explanatory notes.

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov