Travelling is a pleasure for some people. For others, it may be a one-off need. Whatever the reason, to leave your home country and travel to another country, you need a visa. This means that you must first apply for a residence permit. Going to the USA is no exception to this general rule. However, in the context of the US destination, the easiest way to get a residence permit is the ESTA. In this article we reveal everything about this document, from applying for it to obtaining it and arriving in the USA.
The ESTA, which stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is an international programme involving 37 countries around the world. These countries, signatories to an agreement with the United States, allow their nationals to travel to the USA without a visa. The aim is to allow citizens of the signatory states to travel in a very short time. It is therefore a visa waiver programme allowing the beneficiary to travel without the need for a visa. As such, its use is limited to a period of 90 days. If you are planning to travel to the USA for tourism or business purposes, but will only be in the USA for a maximum of three months, you are eligible for the ESTA. The application for this visa waiver is made online via a system designed specifically for this purpose. The list of countries that benefit from this programme is available on the official US government website dedicated to ESTA. This list includes European countries and many others. These are :
It should be noted, however, that obtaining an ESTA does not guarantee you entry into the USA. Under the US system, it is up to the border agent to determine whether or not you can enter the US.
Traditionally, in order to travel to a country, it is necessary to apply for and obtain a visa from the authorities of the destination country. The conditions for applying for and issuing this visa are the exclusive competence of each State. However, through an agreement, a State can arrange the conditions of access to its territory for the benefit of the citizens of another State. This is the case with the ESTA, which is just a visa exemption. There is no doubt that both the ESTA and the visa allow for an authorised stay in the United States. However, the primary difference lies in the length of stay allowed by the two documents. This varies for the visa, but for the ESTA it is 90 days. To obtain the ESTA, you have to wait a few minutes to a maximum of 72 hours after the application. For the visa, the process is much longer and you have to wait an average of two months for a response. Furthermore, the two residence documents have different purposes. While the ESTA is for tourists and business travellers, the visa is geared towards other specific purposes such as study, work, etc.
The ESTA is also different from the visa in terms of the period of validity. The ESTA is valid for two (02) years, but the visa varies according to the reason. To apply for a visa, you must go to the US consulate or embassy in your country of origin. However, the ESTA application can only be made online. It should also be noted that the visa is much more expensive than the ESTA.
The United States is a sovereign federal state. As such, it is up to them to decide who enters, stays and settles in the USA. This will mean that to travel to the United States you need to obtain permission from the US authorities. This authorisation differs depending on the activity you plan to carry out on American soil. Depending on the reasons for the request for authorisation, the application for a visa is not subject to the same rules. There are several types of visa for the USA.
In terms of work, the visa varies according to the terms of the work you intend to do. For example, if your work contract is American, the visa for that is different from the one for a non-American work contract. The visa for going to make a business investment in the US is also different from the other two and so on. For work, the US law has dedicated the visa categories E, H, J, L, O, P and Q. Thus, for a US employment contract, an H1B visa is the appropriate visa. If your company is sending you to the United States to open a branch office, you need an L-1 visa. The L-type visa is intended for employees of companies that have established themselves in the United States as well as elsewhere. The E visa is required if you are entering the US to invest in a professional capacity. However, if you are a recognised expert in the US, you will be granted a special type of visa. You may qualify for an O or P visa. The O visa category is issued to people with exceptional skills in the sciences, arts, sports or business. The P category is issued to actors, artists or members of their management team.
American universities are the most prestigious in the world. Everyone dreams of sending their child to study there. The F visa allows foreigners to continue their studies in the United States, particularly at an American university. It should be noted that this is a non-immigrant visa. This means that unlike some countries, this visa does not give the student the right to work off campus during their first year. Before opting for this visa, it is important to be able to afford the tuition fees as American universities are often very expensive. When you look at their position in the world rankings of the best universities in the world, you can’t blame them. The M visa is special. It is only issued to students who want to follow technical or professional training courses in the USA.
Going to the United States for an internship or as an au pair is also possible. The J visa, also known as the internship visa, allows you to do your internship in a company. The J1 visa is designed to allow you to work as an au pair. This type of visa is subject to a number of conditions, including the requirement that you work only for a period of 12 months.
Mixed visas can apply to several categories of people. For example, the Q visa is intended for people participating in an international cultural exchange programme.
In addition, the American government offers the possibility of holding a green card. This is a residence permit that allows you to work and live freely and permanently on American soil. However, a certain number of conditions must be met in order to obtain it: work, family reunification, marriage, etc. Thanks to the US visa lottery organised every year, the lucky ones manage to win their green card to land in the USA. They can then live there with their families.
Which visa to apply for?
A visa for the United States is not something you apply for at random. You need to make sure that you apply for a visa that fits your situation as perfectly as possible. As you have already seen in this article, there is a wide variety of visas for this country. The ones mentioned in this article are just a few. In fact, there are over 185 different types of visas available in the USA. Each of these visas is issued for a specific purpose. Therefore, there are specific procedures and requirements for obtaining or applying for a particular type of visa. You should only apply for a visa based on your situation and the purpose for which you are planning to travel. The website of the embassy of your home country can provide you with information. You can also visit the embassy or the Consular Affairs Office in person to get a clearer idea. In any case, if you wish to make a tourist or business trip of less than 3 months, you can opt for the ESTA.
There was no charge for applying for the ESTA. Reforms in 2010 have made the procedure fee-based. A one-off payment of 14 US dollars (13 euros) is now required on the official ESTA website as a processing fee. This amount is payable by credit card. The cards authorised by the system include American Express, Visa or Mastercard.
In addition, there are many sites that offer to complete the application for you. You will need to pay around 25 euros if you go through these service providers. This amount necessarily includes the consular fee as well as the service fee. Generally, no additional fees can be charged. There are various ways of paying with service providers. For example, you can pay by credit card, iDeal, Bancontact, Paypal, etc. However, you should be aware of the scam that can result from using service providers.
If you plan to stay in the United States for less than three (3) months, you must apply for an ESTA in time. Of course, this also depends on the circumstances.
ESTA is not a visa, it is different from a visa. The difference is remarkable because you need less preparation to apply for an ESTA than for a visa. It also requires less anticipation. That said, you can apply for the ESTA a week before your trip. If you are used to travelling between your home country and the United States, your application can be made only two days in advance. This is especially true if the trip you are about to take is a one-off and for tourism purposes. However, as in all things, rushing is not a situation that will lead to success. For this reason, it is more advisable to apply for the ESTA two months in advance. This will give you the time to travel in the best possible conditions and also to deal with a possible refusal. In the event of a refusal, for example, the solution available to you is to apply for a visa. This involves going to the American embassy in your country to apply. Such a visa application may take you much longer to get a response. The consequence is that it may jeopardise your travel plans. Indeed, the visa may not be ready on the date you had planned to travel. It is to avoid this last consequence of an ESTA refusal that it is preferable to apply early enough. Apart from these aspects, you should only apply if you have all your documents up to date and your programme is clearly defined.
Each visa given by the US government is based on specific circumstances. You may already have a visa for a specific purpose. If you are travelling to the USA for that specific purpose, you do not need to apply for an ESTA. You apply for an ESTA when you are travelling for a purpose other than the one for which the visa you hold was given to you. However, if you do not want to apply for ESTA, you can apply for another visa that better suits the purpose of your trip.
To apply for ESTA, you must ensure that you meet certain prerequisites and provide relevant information.
The ESTA is undoubtedly the easiest way to get to the United States quickly. However, the passport may be a disqualifying condition for obtaining it. Indeed, not all passports are eligible for ESTA. Only passports from states that have signed an agreement with the United States are authorised. These passports must also be biometric. When you apply for an ESTA for the United States, you must ensure that you have an eligible passport. To do this, check whether the country whose passport you hold is on the list of signatories. If your country is not on the list, you must understand that you cannot apply. If this is the case, you can only apply for a regular visa at the embassy.
Even if the ESTA application does not require much effort, you should be aware of what you are about to do. The procedure consists of going to the dedicated platform, filling in a form. After completing the online form, you pay the processing fee. From then on you only have to wait for your document, which you are advised to print. However, you should be careful. Once you are on the platform, it is necessary that you take your time to read the information that appears on it about your life in the United States. In particular, you should read the warnings about your rights and, above all, about what you should not do. Indeed, since the ESTA is an exemption, it is forbidden to behave in certain ways on American territory. For example, you are not allowed to apply for accommodation or employment. You are also forbidden to work on your studies. If you do not comply with these conditions, you risk deportation. This is why it is necessary to read all the warnings on the site to make sure that your objectives do not conflict with the permitted behaviour. Once your objectives do not contradict the prohibitions, you can proceed with the application itself.
As stated, the ESTA application requires you to fill in a form. On the form in question, you are asked to provide a set of civil status details. These details are used to check your eligibility. To do this, you must have a valid, unexpired biometric passport. You must have a return ticket that falls within the 90-day period. In addition, you must have a criminal record that is free of any criminal conviction. Furthermore, you must ensure that you only fly with airlines that are actually licensed by the US government. This is necessary because a positive response to your application is highly dependent on it.
If you are waiting to receive your authorisation document, you have indeed made a request. Your application must be regular, i.e. you must be sure that you have made it via the dedicated site. Your application on the official website is submitted to the US authorities. The latter take a given period of time to analyse it. At the end of the analysis, you will receive a feedback. Generally, you will have to wait a few minutes to twenty-four hours to expect a return. However, it may happen that some requests have required numerous checks. In such cases, the 24-hour time limit is not respected and the return is made much later.
To complete the official ESTA form for the United States, go to the official US government website dedicated to this purpose. Once on the site, you will be asked to accept the terms and conditions of use before proceeding to the actual filling of the form. You will then be asked to verify your details before the final submission.
For acceptance of the terms and conditions, you will see a button at the bottom left of the home page that says “Submit Application”. Just click on the button. You will see that before accessing the form, the site asks you to accept the “Terms and Conditions” and the “Travel Promotion Act”. Don’t worry about the content. All you have to do is say that you have read, understood and agree to these terms and conditions. To do this, you simply tick the “yes” box. Then click on the “Next” button and you will be taken directly to the form to be completed.
Here, it is the exact information on your documents that you need to fill in. You must have your passport in front of you to do this. You therefore fill in the various boxes relating to your surname, first names, date of birth, etc. The other requirement for having your passport in front of you is that on the form you have to fill in the passport number. You will also have to indicate the country of issue, the date of issue and the expiry date. There is no room for error. Everything must be filled in carefully and meticulously. However, there is one exception: you should not enter accents in the fields. If there is an “ç” or an “é” in your names or other information, write “c” or “e” instead. It should also be noted that each person fills in a form. There is no common form for all family members. If you have to travel with your partner or offspring, you must fill in a form for each of them. This will also mean that you pay the $14 application fee per head. As soon as you have finished filling in the form, you click on the ‘Next’ button. However, before you click on it, make sure you check the box “Certification: I hereby certify that I have read, or have had read to me, all the questions and statements on this application and that I understand them.
Once you have clicked on the ‘Next’ button, the site will take you to a page with the title ‘Submit Application’. On this page, you have the opportunity to review the information you have entered. Do not be in a hurry to submit the application. You should read over everything and check that everything has been entered correctly. If you find any errors when you read it, just click on the ‘Back’ button. This takes you back to the form and you can quickly correct what you have done wrong. When all the information is correctly filled in, you can click on the “Submit application” button. Please note! If you have submitted your application and only then realise that you have made a mistake, you must go through the whole process again. The application fee will also have to be paid again.
The ESTA is a waiver that allows you to stay on American soil for a certain period of time without a visa. This exemption period is a maximum of ninety (90) days. However, with the ESTA, you have the possibility to make multiple entries. This means that you can visit the United States several times once you have obtained your ESTA authorisation. However, these multiple entries are limited to a period of two (02) years, which corresponds to the validity period of an ESTA. Clearly, with the ESTA, you have the right to stay on American soil for 90 days. These 90 days of stay can be continuous or discontinuous. Discontinuously, you can enjoy them within two years of the date of obtaining the ESTA. It is important to note, however, that the 90-day period is also limited by the validity of your passport. If your passport expires before the two-year period has elapsed, your ESTA will also automatically expire. The validity of the ESTA is therefore limited to two years, but conditional on the validity of your passport. If your application was made a long time ago, go to the official website. Fill in the form again and you will remove any doubt about the validity of your ESTA. When you fill in the form again, it will tell you whether the application is pending, valid or has expired. To avoid any unpleasant surprises, it is recommended that you do this check the day before your trip and even on the day of your trip, once you arrive at the airport.
When you meet the requirements to apply for ESTA, it is best to visit the official US government website dedicated to ESTA. There are many sites or agencies that offer to fill in your application for you. The problem is that you will be charged an unjustified amount of money. This is why it is strongly advised to go through the official website yourself. On the one hand, you will save money and on the other hand you can be sure that your personal data will be processed in accordance with the regulations in force. With third-party sites, you cannot have such an assurance. Moreover, there is little reliable information on these sites.
When the US authorities grant you an authorisation, they give you a number. The number allows you to access your application. If you have lost it, it’s not a big deal. On the official website, you have the option “Retrieve application” which allows you to find your document. You will need to fill in the passport number you used to apply, your full name, date of birth, etc. When you submit this, on the next page you will have your document and the ESTA number.