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ESTA - US Visa Waiver Update

IMPORTANT INFORMATION

US Visa Wiaver Update from Jan 2009

ESTA - (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) must be applied for at time of booking, or minimum 72 hours prior departure.

In August 2008, the United States government introduced changes to its visa-waiver programme, whereby customers could voluntarily apply online for authorisation (known as ESTA - Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) to travel under the scheme before arriving at the airport.

For customers travelling from 12 January 2009 onwards, these changes will become mandatory and all passengers travelling to the United States will be required to apply for authorisation to travel under the scheme before arriving at the airport, including UK passport holders.

ESTA adds another layer of security that allows the US Department of Homeland Security to determine, in advance of travel, whether an individual is eligible to travel to the U.S.

Apply Online Here

The application process may take up to approximately 15-20 minutes and authorisation is normally granted immediately but may take up to 72 hours. Customers should apply for authorisation at the time of booking or at least 72 hours before their flight to ensure that they are able to travel. Customers who fail to apply for ESTA up to 72 hours before they depart are expected to be refused travel.

  • Once granted, authorisation is valid for two years. Travellers do not need to have firm plans to travel to apply for authorisation.
  • Until further notice, travellers will still need to complete the green I-94W non-immigrant visa waiver form onboard their flight.
  • Travellers with a resident permit 'green card' or travelling on a visa will not need to apply for authorisation as they are not travelling under the visa-waiver programme.
  • The new legislation requires all customers to provide personal information including name, date of birth, and passport information, as well as travel information such as the flight number and destination address in the United States.
  • This is in addition to Advanced Passenger Information (API), which requires personal and travel details from the time of booking.

We are currently awaiting guidelines for those customers booking to travel within 3 days of departure, we will advise you of the procedure as soon as we can.