ESTA Form Questions List – What Will You Be Asked & Why?
14 Jul 22:22
You’re presumably aware that you require an ESTA because you’ve arrived.
Yes, it’s inconvenient, and no one enjoys travel bureaucracy. But it must be done. And the fact that you’re reading this post already implies you’re making the process simpler for yourself!
Continue reading to become acquainted with the ESTA questions of 2021 that you will be asked, and why, so that you will be ready when the time comes.
TRAVELING TO THE UNITED STATES?
Do You Have U.S. ESTA VISA Travel Authorization? If You Have ESTA Application, Check if it is Still Valid!
So, What is an ESTA?
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is a required document for nationals of Visa Waiver Program (VWP) nations who wish to visit the United States. It allows people to travel without having to go through the lengthy process of obtaining for a visa, saving everyone a lot of time and money.
There are a few exceptions, such as:
- If you hold dual citizenship with Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, North Korea, Libya, or Yemen, or if you have spent time there (since March 1st, 2011),
- If you want to stay in the United States for longer than 90 days,
- whether you are travelling for school, paid job, or athletic activities, or
- If you’re going overland.
More information on these exclusions may be found here.
In general, if you are from a VWP nation, an ESTA is meant to make travel to the United States easier and simpler.
It offers just enough information for the Department of Homeland Security to determine if you pose a threat to US public safety, whether your travels are legitimate, or whether you intend to remain or work unlawfully.
Most individuals will have no issue doing this, and it is considerably easier than applying for a visa!
The majority of ESTA applications are accepted within 20 minutes.
To be on the safe side, apply at least 72 hours before you go to minimize any last-minute tension. You will not be permitted to board your aircraft unless you have a valid ESTA!
What ESTA Form Questions will I be Asked?
That’s a great question, and I’m pleased you asked it!
Fortunately, you’ve arrived at the correct spot.
The ESTA questionnaire’s broad categories of questions include:
- Passport Information
- Your Birth Date, Birth Place, and Country of Birth
- Any Other Citizenships
- Names of your parents
- Your Contact Information
- Work Specifics
- Travel Details
- Details on Emergency Contacts
- Questions about Eligibility
Let’s Go Into These in a Little More Detail!
If you meet the basic eligibility standards, the most typical cause for an ESTA denial is due to errors committed during the application process.
So, make sure you double and triple check for any errors or missing fields in any of the ESTA questions. It is critical that your name be typed precisely as it appears on your passport.
Your Passport Details
This comprises your entire name, including any middle names, your passport gender, and your passport number.
The date your passport was issued, its expiration date, and the nation where it was issued must all be included.
Your Birth Date, Birth Place and Birth Country
Your date of birth, city of birth, and country of birth are all included in the same category of passport information.
Any Additional Citizenships
You must also indicate whether you have dual citizenship with a country other than the country of your passport. This is due to the fact that the United States does not provide ESTAs to those who have dual nationality with Iraq, Iran, Somalia, Syria, Sudan, North Korea, Libya, or Yemen.
You must also disclose if you have ever received a national identity card from a country other than the one shown on the passport you are applying for.
If you are or have ever been a national of another country, you will be asked how you came to be a national of that country.
You will also be asked if you are a participant in the CBP Global Entry Program. If you are, you must supply your Membership or PASS ID number. Members of this program can get through immigration at some airports in the United States using an automated kiosk.
Your Parents’ Names
Your parents’ entire names, as they appear on their passports, must be entered.
If you don’t know this information, type “UNKNOWN.”
Your Contact Details
This component requires your home country’s residence address.
It has two address lines, one for each city, state/province/region, and nation.
It also requires a phone number and an email address, which will be used to communicate with you with the outcome of your ESTA.
You will also need to specify if you are single, married, or living with someone.
Your Work Details
This area necessitates information about your employment. It requests information about your current or most recent employment.
These facts include your work title, employer’s name, address, and phone number.
This information is provided in part to confirm that you intend to depart the United States at the end of your 90-day visa period in order to return to your job. If you do not have a present job, you may be required to show proof of onward travel or a return ticket at immigration.
Your Travel Details
This inquiry inquires whether your ESTA is valid for transit purposes on way to another destination. If your ESTA is for transit purposes, you must provide the county of onward travel.
You must also include contact information for your stay in the United States. This is usually a hotel location and phone number.
There are two inquiries that are quite similar: point of contact in the United States and address while in the United States. In most circumstances, the same information may be used in both areas.
You will also be asked from the airport or city you want to depart.
Emergency Contact Details
You must enter contact information for your next of kin here. This information includes your entire name, address, and phone number.
TRAVELING TO THE UNITED STATES?
Do You Have U.S. ESTA VISA Travel Authorization? If You Have ESTA Application, Check if it is Still Valid!
Eligibility Questions
These questions are intended to properly characterize you based on your potential danger to US security and public safety. These are the questions that will provide the Department of Homeland Security the information it needs to approve or refuse your ESTA.
They are shown as Yes/No boxes and are as follows:
1. Do you have a physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict; or do you currently have any of the following diseases (communicable diseases are specified pursuant to section 361(b) of the Public Health Service Act): Cholera, Diphtheria, Tuberculosis infectious, Plague, Smallpox, Yellow Fever, Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, including Ebola, Lassa, Marburg, Crimean-Congo, Severe acute respiratory illnesses capable of transmission to other persons and likely to cause mortality?
There are two causes behind this question. The first and most apparent goal is to keep infectious diseases from spreading throughout the country.
Second, because to the potential load on the US health system, the US is likely to prohibit access to persons with mental health conditions or communicable infections.
It should be noted that while HIV was once deemed an infectious disease, it has since been declassified, and those living with HIV will not be barred from travelling. Furthermore, ordinary colds and seasonal flu are not considered serious acute respiratory disorders, thus you should say ‘no’ to this question even if you are unwell at the time of application.
2. Have you ever been arrested or convicted for a crime that resulted in serious damage to property, or serious harm to another person or government authority?
This question exists to keep persons out of the nation who are likely to commit a crime during their stay.
The question, however, allows considerable opportunity for interpretation due to the inclusion of the term “serious.” As a result, if you were convicted of a misdemeanor that did not cause substantial damage or harm, you might say “no” to this question.
However, ESTA authorities can review police records from European nations, and if they believe your offence is significant enough, and you lied in your application, you will be denied entrance and most likely rejected in the future.
3. Have you ever violated any law related to possessing, using, or distributing illegal drugs?
This and the next two questions exist for the same reasons as the previous ones, but they are more obvious.
4. Do you seek to engage in or have you ever engaged in terrorist activities, espionage, sabotage, or genocide?
5. Have you ever committed fraud or misrepresented yourself or others to obtain, or assist others to obtain, a visa or entry into the United States?
6. Are you currently seeking employment in the United States or were you previously employed in the United States without prior permission from the U.S. government?
Only visitors with the proper work visa may be authorized to work in the United States. As a result, anyone wishing to work temporarily during the 90-day term of the Visa Waiver Program, or anyone who has previously worked illegally in the country, will be disqualified.
7. Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa you applied for with your current or previous passport, or have you ever been refused admission to the United States or withdrawn your application for admission at a U.S. port of entry?
Please keep in mind that this question only applies to visas, not ESTA applications. Even if your prior ESTA application was denied, you should respond ‘no’ to this question if you have not previously been denied a visa, refused entry, or withdrawn a visa application.
If you have withdrawn a visa application, you will most likely be deemed suspect because your withdrawal was most likely motivated by fear of being refused.
8. Have you ever stayed in the United States longer than the admission period granted to you by the U.S. government?
If you have ever missed a visa or ESTA deadline, you will almost certainly be denied admission based on an ESTA application and will need to apply for a visa instead.
However, there is no certainty that your visa application will be approved, as overstaying is a serious offence in the United States.
9. Have you travelled to, or been present in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, North Korea or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011?
These nations are regarded a security concern to the United States, and as a result, anybody having ties to these countries will most likely be denied an ESTA.
In essence, these questions are rather stringent, and if you say YES to any of them, you will almost certainly be denied entry into the United States.
If you do not honestly answer any of the questions, you will most likely be denied future applications.
ESTA Questions list example from our webpage:
The Optional Social Media Question
This is a relatively new addition to the ESTA Questionnaire, and it’s an intriguing one.
It was really fairly contentious because of the possible privacy implications it created.
The question includes a drop-down list from which you may choose which alternatives apply to you. ASKfm, Facebook, Flickr, GitHub, Google+, Instagram, JustPaste.it, LinkedIn, Tumblr, Twitter, Vine, VKontakte (VK), YouTube, and ‘Other’ are among them.
You are then prompted to provide your username for each of your profiles.
The major purpose for this query is to detect extra-territorial terrorism, as social media has been utilized in the past to coordinate terrorist actions. If your social media platforms show any links to or sympathies for terrorist organizations, you may be refused admission into the United States.
However, the fact that this question is optional, as well as the extra time it would take each user to answer if they have several accounts, makes you wonder how many people would bother, and therefore how effective this method is.
If you choose to answer this question, your information is kept on file for three years and then archived for an additional 12 years. During this time, law enforcement authorities can access it and share data as they see fit with other countries.
Nonetheless, the question exists, and now that you have this information, you may choose whether or not to answer it!
TRAVELING TO THE UNITED STATES?
Do You Have U.S. ESTA VISA Travel Authorization? If You Have ESTA Application, Check if it is Still Valid!
The Final Steps
Once you’ve answered all of the ESTA questions, you’ll be required to sign a waiver, which means you won’t be able to dispute any decisions made about your ESTA application.
You must also state that the information you supplied is truthful and correct to the best of your knowledge and belief. If you do not sign this, your ESTA will be refused.
Upon completion of your application, you will get an email confirming your ESTA status.
On the day of travel, you must ensure that you are travelling with the same e-passport that you used to apply for your ESTA. It’s a good idea to have a record of your ESTA confirmation, although the airline should have access to this automatically.
If you’ve previously applied for an ESTA and wish to check the progress of your application, you may do so here.
How do I apply for an ESTA?
So, now that the ESTA questions have been answered, how can you apply for an ESTA?
Excellent news! It’s extremely simple! Simply follow the steps on this page. However, be sure to finish all of this at least 72 hours before your flight to avoid any annoying or stressful delays.
Will an ESTA guarantee entry?
Even if you have a valid ESTA, you may be denied admission into the United States. Border inspectors have the authority to refuse anyone based on their attitude, even if everything in their application is correct.
As a result, it’s critical to remain calm and courteous when addressing inquiries.
Most individuals are refused because they made mistakes on their ESTA form questions, but they can reapply if they are cautious not to repeat the same mistake. However, if your ESTA was rejected for a valid cause, applying again is unlikely to influence the verdict.
You may need to look at Visa possibilities that need more information but will allow you to express your case better to US Security. If this is the case, US officials will conduct a more extensive interview with you to determine if you should be permitted to enter the country.
TRAVELING TO THE UNITED STATES?
Do You Have U.S. ESTA VISA Travel Authorization? If You Have ESTA Application, Check if it is Still Valid!
Summary
To summaries, the ESTA application questions are not difficult to answer and can be finished quickly. They must, however, be filled correctly and truthfully, and at least 72 hours before to your departure! Don’t forget to bring your e-passport!
