Can I reapply for an ESTA after it has been refused?
ESTA is a travel authorization created under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). Since 2009, it has been mandatory to obtain this travel authorization in order to enter the United States. But what if you are refused ESTA? Can I reapply for ESTA after a refusal? That’s what we’re going to explain in this article.
What is ESTA?
ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) is designed to facilitate travel between the USA and VWP countries. These have been selected by the US government for their high level of security.
Citizens of the following countries are therefore required to have an ESTA in order to travel to the United States for tourism, business or transit:
| Germany | Greece | Norway |
| Andorra | Hungary | New Zealand |
| Australia | Ireland | Portugal |
| Austria | Italy | Czech republic |
| Belgium | Iceland | UK |
| Brunei | Japan | Saint Martin |
| Chile | Netherlands | Singapore |
| South Korea | Latvia | Slovakia |
| Croatia | Liechtenstein | Slovenia |
| Denmark | Lithuania | Sweden |
| Spain | Luxemburg | Swiss |
| Estonia | Malta | Taiwan |
| Finland | monaco | |
| France | Poland | Israel (2023) |
Can I be refused ESTA?
Watch out! It is important to note that the ESTA only serves as a pass; obtaining it in no way guarantees access to American territory. Customs officials at the airport of your final destination will determine whether you are entitled to stay on American soil.
Although this is a relatively rare occurrence, the American authorities may refuse your ESTA and therefore your authorization to travel to the USA.
The refusal may be due to one of the following reasons:
- your stay exceeds 90 days. An ESTA is granted for a maximum stay of 90 days. If you wish to visit the USA for a longer period, you must apply for a visa at the American embassy or consulate in your country.
- you have already committed an offence in the United States.
- you have a communicable or very serious disease.
- you have a valid passport, but the validity date has expired or will expire during your trip to the USA. If this is your case, you need to apply for a new biometric or electronic passport at your local town hall. Optical passports are no longer authorized for travel to the USA.
- you have already traveled to Syria, Iran, Yemen, Libya, Somalia or Sudan since March 1, 2011.
- your criminal record is not clean of certain serious mentions.
If you are a national of a VWP country and none of these reasons apply to you, you may have made a mistake when filling in the online application form.
ESTA refused, can I reapply for ESTA?
If your ESTA authorization has unfortunately been refused, don’t panic! As mentioned above, it is possible that this refusal is due solely to an error in the ESTA form. If this is your case, you simply have to wait 10 days before applying for a new ESTA after the refusal. We advise you to fill in the form carefully and to concentrate during the application. A simple careless error can result in a refusal. That’s why we advise you to apply for your ESTA relatively early before your trip to the U.S., to avoid this kind of mishap. You need to allow time for this, in case you need to reapply for ESTA after a refusal.
If you’re ever afraid to reapply for ESTA authorization from the U.S. government website after being refused, you can turn to a private service when renewing your ESTA application. The latter will provide you with a personalized assistance service to help you fill in the form and correct any errors before submitting it. So you can be sure of getting your ESTA with peace of mind!
If, on the other hand, your ESTA has been refused for one of the reasons we mentioned earlier, unfortunately applying for a new ESTA after the refusal will be pointless. There’s also no point in trying to lie, as the U.S. authorities will find out. In this case, you need to apply for a visa at the U.S. consulate or embassy.