Do you love American culture and want to travel to the USA soon? If you are a national of a country benefiting from the Visa Waiver Program, you are required to complete an
Obligations of ESTA travellers
The ESTA applies to travelers wishing to visit the USA for up to 3 months. It covers three types of situation:
- tourism (family trips, escorted tours, autotours, etc.) ;
- business travel ;
- transit.
If you are eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), you must comply with certain rules. For example, the stay must not exceed 90 days, and it is not possible to change status (e.g.: arriving as a tourist and then deciding to work in the USA). What’s more, they cannot ask to extend their stay in the USA.
Furthermore, ESTA applicants may not study or work without a visa. If the ESTA holder is traveling to the USA for business reasons, he or she may attend seminars, meetings and symposia, meet customers and partners, take orders and negotiate contracts, but may not receive any remuneration.
ESTA applicants must provide evidence that they intend to remain in their principal place of residence. The U.S. authorities may ask for information about your trip across the Atlantic, such as where you are staying, but also about your country of origin (occupation, address, parents’ names, etc.).
The ESTA form is applicable regardless of the means of entry into the United States.
Travelers wishing to spend more than 90 days must return to their country of origin, where they can apply for a visa to travel to the USA, outside the Visa Waiver Program.
To apply for ESTA authorization, you need to fill in an online form and pay the administration fee. This can be done on the official U.S. government website, or on a private site.
Finally, travelers wishing to enter the U.S. via ESTA are required to have a valid passport, either biometric or electronic.
Travelling to the United States: the advantages of ESTA
Moving to the United States with a temporary residence permit confers many advantages.
On the one hand, you don’t necessarily need to complete the formalities in advance, as is the case for a visa. In fact, you have up to 72 hours before your departure to make your application, which leaves you much more flexibility.
The ESTA authorization is valid for two years, and does not impose a maximum number of stays in the U.S. The only requirement is that you respect the legal travel time limit of 90 days. What’s more, ESTA gives you total freedom of movement within the USA, so you can visit New York, then spend a few days in Everglades National Park, and end up in the American West.
Last but not least, visiting the U.S. with ESTA allows you to avoid the cost of applying for a visa at the U.S. Consulate General. To obtain a visa, you’ll need to pay a minimum of $185, compared with $40 for the ESTA document.
Who doesn’t qualify for ESTA?
Most travelers who do not benefit from ESTA must apply for a B visa. This visa category covers the two most common situations:
- tourist or personal project lasting more than 90 days (American roadtrip, visit to national parks, etc.). This type of trip requires a B2 visa;
- business project (investment, purchase-resale, etc.). In this case, you will need to apply for a B1 visa from the American embassy.
For internships abroad, you’ll need to apply for a J1 visa. It is also possible to order other, rarer types of visa, specific to certain situations. Whatever the type of visa, the applicant must go to the U.S. embassy to submit his or her visa application and provide the required supporting documents.
What’s more, if the applicant has recently traveled to or holds dual nationality from one of the 7 Muslim countries listed in the anti-immigration decree (Somalia, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Iran and Yemen), there’s a good chance he or she will be denied access to American soil via ESTA.
If you plan to live in the U.S. permanently, a visa won’t be enough. You’ll need to apply for a green card if you have a sponsor, or try your luck in the green card lottery.
