ESTA stands for Electronic System for Traveling Authorization and it is required for those that want to get into the United States. The process of getting an ESTA is required for everyone, but it doesn’t necessarily guarantee your passage into the country.  While it does represent the fact that you have the ability to pass into the US, the final decision lies with the US customs which will check you one last time before letting you in. Here are some important details that you will need to know about the ESTA.

Sign-up

You can sign up for an ESTA at https://www.e-visa-usa.com/en/application. The process is relatively simple as you are only required to fill in a form with personal information. Note that you can also submit an application for another person if they can’t do it themselves. The application form needs to contain the information of a singular person however, so you can’t send an application that represents an entire group. If you plan on traveling to the US as a group, each individual member of the group will need to submit their own application.

Why is ESTA needed?

This is a security measures used by the United States in order to filter the over 50 million travelers and tourists that visit its borders each year. Its role is to ensure that no one that might pose a risk to the country actually gets in, and it does this in a way that does not restrict other travelers from visiting the US.

Application outcome

When you apply for an ESTA visa, there are multiple outcomes that can come to pass. The most favorable one is of course that of being approved, which means that you are given the permission to visit and enter the US. The least pleasing outcome is that of being rejected, which means that you are not allowed to enter US territory. And finally, there is also a third outcome, which is that of a pending application. In this scenario, your application is further investigated and the pending status means it will take longer before they can reach one of the other two outcomes (approval or rejection).

Processing time

In order to be safe and to make sure that you don’t get into an unwelcomed mess, such as missing your flight or not getting the info in time, you should apply for your ESTA at least 2 days before you have to depart for the US. This is the maximum amount of time that it will take for your application to be reviewed. Keep in mind that while this is the maximum time you’ll have to wait; most applications receive an answer in the first minute of being submitted. Once sent, the application is compared to the US criminal database. Since everything is computerized, it will only take a matter of seconds. But then again, such processes have a way of falling behind at times, for various reasons.

 Expiration date

Once you are approved for an ESTA, your ESTA visa will continue to be eligible for the next two years.  During this period, you are free to enter the US and spend a maximum of 90 days there. While you have to depart after a maximum of 90 days, your next trip will give you another 90 days to spend.