ESTA APPLICATION: WHO CAN BENEFIT FROM AUTHORIZATION?

Have friends or family recently traveled to the U.S. usingESTA, and are you planning to follow their example by applying for authorization? The ESTA USA does not apply to just anyone wishing to visit the United States. As part of the security measures taken by the authorities, very specific criteria exist to determine who can benefit from the ESTA document to travel to the United States of America.

1ST CRITERION FOR ESTA: COUNTRY

Not everyone has the chance to save time and money by applying for an ESTA instead of a visa, in order to enter Uncle Sam’s country. Who gets the green light from the government?

The most obvious requirement for an ESTA is that your country is part of the Visa Waiver Program. This program, which facilitates access to U.S. soil, covers 38 countries; only these are covered by the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. If you’re reading this article, you’re probably French; that’s good news, because France is a member of the VWP. If you are of another nationality, find out which states are part of theVisa Waiver System (in other words, the ESTA replaces a visa to visit the USA). They include many European countries, as well as Singapore and New Zealand.

Proof of your nationality can be found in your passport. In fact, this ID must be valid and not expired. What’s more, its duration must cover the entire trip.

But being part of the program is not enough. Even if you’re French, you may be obliged to order a visa or green card(through marriage, green card lottery, work, etc.) if your trip doesn’t meet the conditions imposed by the American authorities.

AN AUTHORIZATION THAT ALSO CONSIDERS THE TRIP ITSELF

In addition to their nationality, ESTA applicants must prove that their trip to the USA complies with the framework imposed by the Department of Homeland Security. Depending on whether a person simply wants to visit the United States, work there, do an internship, etc., the authorization required changes. The ESTA is only issued for specific stays. There’s no point in filling in the application form knowing full well that you don’t meet the criteria; you’ll automatically receive a negative reply.

Let’s get down to basics: who can order an ESTA? Anyone travelling to the United States :

• for a maximum of 90 consecutive days (tickets required);
• for tourism, transit (to Canada or Cuba, for example) or business travel;
• arriving by air or sea;
• As mentioned above, your biometric or electronic passport must be valid and your nationality must be one of those accepted by the Visa Waiver Program;
• and meet the health and safety requirements set out in the online form.

All these conditions must be met to enter the USA with an ESTA. Each new application must also comply with this requirement (just because you have obtained the document once does not mean you can use it again for a new stay of more than three months, for example).

You don’t meet all the above requirements? Your stay in the United States will only be possible once you have obtained a document other than ESTA authorization, such as a visa or green card. Of course, people who represent a danger to the country are no more likely to receive a visa than an ESTA.