Introduced by the United States, the ESTA is the online procedure of pre-screening of the individuals visiting the United States. It is a new visa waiver system by the U.S. Government that will allow the citizens of the United States as well as the citizens belonging to the countries that are a part of this visa-waiver system to visit the United States.
ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization, it is an automated system that will be responsible for determining the eligibility of an individual visiting the United States. You will need to apply for this new visa waiver system prior to your visit to the nation of the United States. The minimum gap between your departure and ESTA application is 72 hours recommended.
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ESTA will also be used to determine whether the visitor is posing any security risk or law enforcement. The application of the individual can be rejected on the basis of that. ESTA will remain valid for a period o 2 years from the date of issue. They can not be used as visas, as you will still need your visa even if you have a valid ESTA.
For applying for ESTA you must have a valid passport. Without a passport you can not proceed with your application. As it is an online screening process then the application form will also be filled online. The ESTA will be used for your biographic information, it can not be used for deciding the visitor’s admissibility or rejecting the person to visit the United States.
It can only be done by the officers present at the United States customs and border security. The purpose of this Electronic System of Travel Authorization is to enhance the security of travelers planning on visiting the nation of the United States.
As soon as you apply for ESTA you should check the status of your ESTA application frequently. If you have any unpaid applications or approved applications, you should update them. Always check for the receipt whenever you apply for ESTA. The application fee for applying for ESTA is $14.
There are a total of 38 countries in the world that are a part of this new visa waiver program so if you belong to any of these countries who are a part of ESTA then you need to apply for one immediately.
The ESTA will remain valid for a period of 2 years starting from the date of issue. But they will consider invalid immediately as soon your passport will expire. You can use your Electronic System for Travel Authorization for traveling to the states for business or pleasure purposes. However, it can not be used if you are visiting the nation for education or employment purposes.