What if I have dual citizenship and/or have a passport from more than one country? Each Visa Waiver Program participant must have an approved travel authorization for the passport he or she plans to use before traveling to the United States. If the traveler receives a new passport, the traveler must submit a new application for a travel authorization to ESTA using the new passport. There is a processing fee for each new application submitted. If you have dual citizenship and have registered with ESTA, you must use a VWP-eligible passport to board the plane when you leave your country of [...]

What if a Visa Waiver Program applicant is found to be inadmissible? Travelers applying for admission to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program who are deemed ineligible for admission to the United States will be denied admission and will be returned to their home country or a third country from which the traveler has a round-trip ticket, aboard the carrier on which the traveler arrived in the United States.

What are the passport requirements for travel under the Visa Waiver Program? The requirements of the Visa Waiver Program are as follows: Passport must have a machine-readable area on the biographical page. The passport must be an electronic passport with a digital chip containing biometric information about the passport holder. EXCEPTION: As of July 1, 2009, term or temporary passports of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program must be electronic passports. Taiwan passport holders [1] must provide their passport number and Personal Identification Number (PIN). NOTE: For citizens of the United Kingdom, only passports indicating British citizenship can be used [...]

Under what circumstances should I apply for a visa instead of an ESTA? If you intend to arrive in the United States aboard an aircraft that is not a signatory. If you intend to visit the United States for more than 90 days. If you believe that any grounds of inadmissibility under INA § 212(a) apply to you, you should apply for a nonimmigrant visa before traveling to the United States. If you are traveling to the United States for a purpose other than short-term tourism or business.

If I have a travel authorization through ESTA, do I need to fill out an I-94W? Implementation of the ESTA program allowed DHS to eliminate the requirement that travelers in the Visa Waiver Program complete the I-94W form before entering the United States. CBP has switched to paperless processing for travelers arriving under the Visa Waiver Program by air or sea and who have been authorized to travel. Most carriers can now receive and validate ESTA traveler status messages as part of the traveler's boarding status. Travelers entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program who have an approved travel [...]

If I am in Canada or Mexico and want to drive to the U.S., do I need to apply for ESTA? If you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country and you are entering the United States by land from Mexico or Canada, an ESTA is not required. First entry across the land border without a valid ESTA - you will need to fill out a paper I-94W form and go through the manual entry procedure at the land border crossing. First land border entry with a valid ESTA - you will not need to fill out the [...]

How do I apply for an ESTA? To apply for ESTA, you must complete an Individual Application. Either select "Create New Application" and then "Individual Application", or select "Individual Application" under "Submit Application" in the Global Menu. If you are submitting multiple applications, refer to "Submitting a group of applications. On your application, enter all required information marked with a red asterisk. You will be asked to provide: basic biographical information; information from your VWP-eligible passport and other passports; a valid email address, which will require verification; your current or previous employer; your address and contact person in the United States; [...]

Does a travel authorization guarantee me admission to the United States? If your electronic travel authorization is approved, this approval establishes that you are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, but does not guarantee that you are admitted to the United States. Upon arrival in the United States, you will be screened by a Customs and Border Protection officer at the port of entry, who may determine that you are inadmissible under the Visa Waiver Program or for any reason under U.S. law.

Do I need to bring a printout or digital copy of my travel authorization to the airport? No. DHS will be able to report the traveler's ESTA status to the carriers. However, DHS recommends that travelers print the response to the travel authorization application to keep the travel authorization application number and have proof of their ESTA status. U.S. regulations do NOT require travelers participating in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) to show a printed copy of the ESTA authorization page for travel. However, it is recommended that you print a copy for your records. If you have not or cannot [...]

Do I need to apply if I'm only transiting the United States en route to another country? Citizens or nationals of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program require either a travel authorization or a visa to transit through the United States. If the traveler plans only to transit through the United States en route to another country, he or she should select "Yes" to the question "Is your trip to the United States transiting to another country?" when completing the ESTA travel authorization application.