APPLICATION FOR ESTA CERTIFICATE

Is going to the USA part of your future plans? You will have to make sure that you are in order at the administrative level and request the necessary documents if this is not already the case. In addition to having a valid biometric or electronic passport, you will need to request an ESTA certificate .

WHAT IS AN ESTA CERTIFICATE?

An ESTA certificate is an official document issued by the American authorities. Unlike the visa , ESTA should not be requested from the US Embassy or the US Consulate, as this document is available online on the official government website, or on the websites of private companies.

ESTA, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is an electronic travel authorization system that allows the holder to travel to the United States without a visa.

This visa exemption is only available for nationals of countries that are part of the VWP, the Visa Waiver Program. The VWP is an agreement between the USA and 38 countries around the world, so that their citizens can travel to the USA more simply.

The 38 countries are:

Germany, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, South Korea, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Iceland, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Norway, New Zealand, Portugal, Czech Republic, United Kingdom, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Sweden, Switzerland and Taiwan.

In order to apply for an ESTA certificate, other conditions are required, for example:

be in possession of a biometric passport or electronic passport valid during the entire planned stay;
organize a trip of less than 90 consecutive days in the American territory;
plan a tourist, transit or business trip;
go through an air or sea agency approved by the American government;
complete the online form and answer the required questions;
not having visited Sudan, Somalia, Iraq or Iran after March 1, 2011;
etc.

HOW TO APPLY FOR ESTA AUTHORIZATION?

The ESTA certificate request is quite simple and accessible. Indeed, you just have to go to the website of the American government or to call on a private company which will help you in the administrative process, to then complete the ESTA form.

You will need to fill in various information about yourself, about your valid passport and stay, as well as about your state of health and your legal history to make your request for ESTA authorization.

INFORMATION ABOUT YOU

You will be asked to provide information on your identity such as your last name, first name, place of birth, date of birth, marital status, gender but also the identity of your parents (your mother’s first and last names and your father). Your email address will also be required, especially if you have used an independent service to receive your ESTA authorization, since it is through it that you will receive it. Be careful not to make mistakes when giving your information, because it is often for this reason (typo, typo …) that ESTAs are refused.

INFORMATION ON YOUR PASSPORT AND THE PLANNED JOURNEY TO THE USA

The following information will have to be given: your official postal address, your nationality (and dual nationality if this is the case), your telephone number, your biometric or electronic passport number, the country or passport has been issued (thus as its date of issue and its expiration date). You will also be asked the city where you are boarding and whether your trip is simply transit.

QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR HEALTH AND LEGAL PAST

You will have to answer a series of questions about your health (for example, if you are a carrier of serious contagious diseases) but also in relation to your use of drugs and if you have already dealt with justice in the past. The purpose of these questions is to identify people with dangerous potential.

These are closed questions, that is, you can only answer with “yes” or “no”. A single “yes” can result in an automatic cancellation of your chance to obtain your ESTA. However, you must answer in all honesty if you want to travel to the USA (you can apply for a visa after refusing ESTA).

With our advice, you are ready to apply for a state-of-the-art ESTA certificate, good luck!