USA VISAS | UNITED STATES

OBTAIN A ESTA TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION ONLINE

Since August 1, 2008, you have been able to travel to the United States without a visa. If you are a national of one of the 38 countries that are part of the visa waiver program, you just need to apply for ESTA authorization.

THE FORM TO BE COMPLETED ON THE ESTA SITE

If you plan to make a transit on the American territory (in New York to go to Cuba for example), plan to make this ESTA formality at least three days before the planned departure. You can go free of charge to specialized websites to fill out the form. Be aware, however, that the request itself is chargeable. It can cost you between 55 and 80 euros depending on the sites.

You will need to transmit certain information relating to your identity. You will also be asked rigorous questions to verify that you are not a traveler at risk. The validation or not of your request will be done as soon as possible, even instantly since the system is computerized and responds to an algorithm. It is therefore very important to answer ESTA visa questions correctly, as these will determine your ability to travel to the United States.

If you have not completed the questionnaire correctly and your travel authorization is refused because of this, you will be able to make a second submission ten days later. It is also possible that your request will be pending for further consideration by DHS. In this case, you will get your final answer within a few days. It is possible to update the ESTA only for certain information, but it depends on whether your request has already been processed or not.

If you lose your ESTA , it is still available on the site with which you made your request.

VALIDITY OF YOUR ESTA TRAVEL AUTHORIZATION

Once your request is validated, you are entitled to enter the United States, by air or sea. Your request, with the mention “authorized trip” should be printed (this is not an obligation, but it can be used), and attached to your other files, including the passport. ESTA has a validity of two years, for which its holder can travel several times on American soil during a period of 90 days maximum, without renewal of the authorization. However, it is compulsory to request a new request in the following cases: renewal of the passport and / or modification of the identification data.