How to update your ESTA for the United States

28 Nov 14:28

Update your ESTA

You have an ESTA electronic authorisation and want to know if you may change or update it.

The answer to this question might be crucial for your next travel to the United States.

Let us take a look at the various options and possibilities for amending an existing Esta.

What is ESTA?

The Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, is a document that permits travellers who want to spend time in the United States to enter the nation without a visa.

This document is exclusively granted to citizens of countries who participate in the Visa Waiver Program, which is managed by US authorities.

The possession of an ESTA is required for Italian citizens or citizens of one of these countries and is one of the documents required for admission into the United States. A valid Electronic Passport is another required document.

A US visa is also necessary for admission into the nation if the stay in the US is for a cause or purpose not covered by ESTA.

The ESTA permits you to stay in the United States for fewer than 90 days for tourist, business, or transportation.

Who is eligible to obtain ESTA?

There are various requirements that must be satisfied in order to apply for an ESTA. First, the applicant must be a citizen of one of the countries covered by the Visa Waiver Program.

Italy is one of these countries, along with many others in Europe, including France, Belgium, Germany, England, and others. This advantage is shared by forty countries throughout the world.

As a result, the applicant must have an electronic or machine-readable passport. The latter must be valid for at least 90 days following the planned entrance into the United States.

Finally, the maximum duration of stay in the United States is 90 days, and travel must be for business, tourist, or transit purposes only.

How can I get ESTA?

To receive an ESTA, the applicant must apply online through the government’s website. You must complete out an application form with detailed information on the passenger.

Avoid any carelessness when filling out the application; otherwise, it may be deemed unacceptable and not permitted by American immigration officials.

For example, the personal information submitted by the passenger must be similar to that contained in the passport.

You must pay a charge for the ESTA application. Only once this tax has been paid will the application form be reviewed.

After successfully submitting your request, you will receive an email answer within an hour. This response might take up to 72 hours at the most.

Once the authorization has been issued, it is recommended that you print it and keep it with your travel papers in order to enable document verification if needed by the airline or immigration officers at the destination.

Can I update or change my ESTA?

Some of the information in the ESTA authorisation can be changed or updated. However, in order to make this procedure easier, keep track of the number of files.

Furthermore, it is strongly advised to write down and save this number at the time of issuance of the ESTA.

You will be able to access your previously accepted application form due to this number.

You will be able to make any required adjustments to your ESTA information after it has been obtained.

Once the update is complete, it will be essential to wait roughly 72 hours for the modifications to be validated by US authorities.

What information can be changed or updated in the ESTA?

In general, you must thoroughly complete out the ESTA application form before it is filed and confirmed by US authorities. However, there are few exceptions that allow for modifications or revisions to the dossier after it has been authorised.

This update is permitted in the following circumstances:

Change of e-mail address

First, you’ll need to update your email address if you’ve lost access or changed it. On the new e-mail address, you will receive information about the electronic authorization and its validity.

Change of residence address

Second, if your address in the United States has changed between journeys, you must update that information.

Similarly, if you have relocated since your last ESTA application, you must update your postal address.

Errors in filling out the form

It is possible that you filed an application and, while it is being processed, you realise that you typed anything erroneously, such as your passport number, date of birth, or something else.

It is strongly advised to contact us in these circumstances; we will be available 24 hours a day, and you may give us the required adjustments at any time.

If you have already gotten the ESTA but failed to include any information that you believe is necessary, please keep in mind that you may still contact us by filling out the contact form on our website.

Please keep in mind that when you apply for your esta on application-esta.us, our team will thoroughly review the information you give.

If there is an inconsistency, omission, or worse, an answer that might result in a rejection, our staff will grasp the situation and will contact the applicant for clarifications and changes before submitting the request to US immigration.

When is it not allowed to change or update the ESTA?

Please keep in mind that if you continue to alter your ESTA information, only selected fields will be changed. In reality, much material cannot be altered once it has been authorised by US officials.

You cannot alter, for example:

  • the number on your passport,
  • its expiration date,
  • the applicant’s given name and surname,
  • data on nationality,
  • information about the family.

You also cannot change the answers to questions concerning

  • personal criminal history,
  • state of health,
  • as well as any additional information needed in the last portion of the online form.

Even such little changes are not possible.

If this information changes, you will be unable to update the current Esta and will be need to obtain a new one.

As a final general guideline, keep in mind that the information in the applicant’s passport and the information in the ESTA must be same.

Does it cost to update ESTA?

Any changes to the information in the ESTA result in a re-analysis of your whole file by American authorities. As a result, if you want to modify your Esta, you must pay the same cost you paid when you first requested it.

In reality, a new ESTA with a new protocol number will be issued.

The only free modifications are those to the email address linked with the ESTA and the home address once you arrive in the United States.

If you want to upgrade your valid ESTA, make a note of the protocol number. If not, it is advised that you submit an ESTA recovery request.

Can I update an expired ESTA?

If the passport linked with the ESTA expires during those two years, the electronic authorisation is valid for another two years.

During this time, you can make whatever modifications or updates you want as long as the information can be altered.

An expired ESTA, on the other hand, cannot be changed or merely amended.

You will need to fill out a new online application form and go through the same procedures as when you originally received your Esta.

Similarly, a new charge will be required.