Electronic System for Travel Authorisation

View of New York City and Statue of Liberty from the water

What is an ESTA?

An ESTA (officially known as the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) is part of the United States Visa Waiver program. It lets you visit the US for a period of 90 days or less

without the need for a visa – as long as it's for a holiday or a business trip.

An ESTA is open to all citizens of visa waiver countries, including the UK. You can check the full list of countries that are part of the program, on the US Customers and Border Protection visa waiver requirements page.

Do I need an ESTA?

You’ll need one if:

You're a UK citizen or a citizen from another visa waiver country visiting the US
Your trip is for 90 days or less and is for business or pleasure
You don’t already have a visa for visiting the US
You’re arriving by plane or cruise ship

Note that you’ll need an ESTA even if you’re only stopping briefly in the US to catch a connecting flight or ship in order to travel elsewhere.

You don’t need an ESTA if you’re driving into the US from Mexico or Canada.

How can I apply?

You can apply for an ESTA for one person or a group of two or more people.

Apply online via the official ESTA website.
You’ll need a valid passport or passports from a visa waiver country, your home address, email and phone number, plus phone and email details for an emergency point of contact. Where necessary you may be asked for other information, such as details of a contact in the US and your travel plans
Make a note of the application number so you can check your ESTA status or update your information.
Make your ESTA payment. At the time of writing it costs $21 if you do it directly via the ESTA website. You’ll probably pay more if you do it through a travel agent. If you're refused entry to the United States you'll be refunded most of the cost.
View your application status. Once your ESTA is approved, it’s valid for two years and you can make multiple trips back to America during this time without having to reapply.

You don’t need to print off or take your ESTA information with you when you travel – it will automatically be sent to your carrier.

It’s up to you whether you update your travel information on the ESTA system for future trips.

Make sure you apply for your ESTA in good time before your US trip.

Get an ESTA

When do I need to apply?

Official ESTA guidance recommends that you apply at least 72 hours before you travel to the US, though your application may be processed instantly.

What if my ESTA application is turned down?

If your request for an ESTA is turned down, then you need to apply for a Non-immigrant Visa. This usually involves booking an appointment at a US embassy and visiting in person – this takes a lot of time, which is why you should book well in advance.

How much does it cost?

At the time of writing, an accepted ESTA application costs $21 (about £17) per person, and must be paid for by credit card. If your application is rejected, you’ll be refunded most of this amount, less a processing charge.

If you're travelling for a big family holiday, the costs can add up quickly. The fee will be charged to your card as US dollars – find out if your credit card provider will charge you to convert your money and budget accordingly.