Definition of ESTA

Before you decided to travel to the USA, perhaps you had never heard of ESTA. However, this document is compulsory once certain criteria have been met. Without this authorization from the U.S. authorities, your entry into the U.S. will simply be refused. So it’s best to prepare for the ESTA application and follow the procedure if you want to visit the United States with complete peace of mind.

The ESTA application is essential for entry into the United States

There’s a lot to say about ESTA USA, too much to mention in a single article (at least if you want to keep it clear). Let’s summarize its definition. This is an authorization to travel to the United States, and applies to certain visa-exempt countries (known as the “Visa Waiver Program”). This means that their nationals do not need a USA visa, but simply an ESTA declaration, which is much simpler to obtain, in order to be accepted at the American border. At the same time, of course, all travelers must have a valid passport.

A US ESTA is only required if certain conditions are met. Otherwise, a visa is required, even if the traveler is a national of one of the member countries benefiting from the exemption.

Applications can be made if :

• Travel to the USA lasts a maximum of 90 days (which is why you need to buy a return ticket in advance);
• The stay is a tourist trip, a business trip or requires a USA transit visa (for example, this does not include an internship project abroad);
• Your passport is valid for the duration of your stay in the United States.

Once these criteria have been met, ESTA is not granted automatically. In fact, to obtain one, you need to answer a number of questions on an online form. If the answers are not acceptable to the U.S. government, you will receive a refusal that will prevent you from flying without a visa. However, you should know that being turned down only happens to a handful of people. If you’re not planning to harm U.S. homeland security, you don’t need to worry about receiving your ESTA USA. However, this does not prevent you from being refused entry if U.S. Customs detects dangerous goods in your luggage, for example.

The main features of ESTA

The ease with which you can apply for the attestation compared with a U.S. visa is illustrated above all by the fact that everything is done online, via a questionnaire to be completed. So, to obtain the precious sesame that is the ESTA and be able to enter Uncle Sam’s country, there’s no need to schedule an appointment at the American embassy in Paris. The online application process is fast, as is the response, which is usually within a few hours, but can take up to 72 hours. These are the electronic systems that evaluate the elements you enter in the fields, in order to detect any incompatibility with the country’s security measures.

Once you have received the official ESTA document in electronic format, theESTA is valid for 2 years, or until your biometric or electronic passport expires. This doesn’t mean that your stay in the U.S. can last 2 years without interruption, since as we mentioned earlier, each trip must never exceed 90 days. You’ll need to return to France for a while before setting off again for tourism or a business trip to San Francisco, Manhattan or Florida.

Another important point: everyone traveling to the USA must have a valid ESTA, even minors. Fortunately, it is possible to place several orders simultaneously on the ESTA form.

How can I obtain a free certificate? It’s simply not possible; you always have to pay for ESTA, even if you have to reapply. Now you can grab your French passport and apply for ESTA right away on the government website.