ESTA Requirements for VWP Travelers Effective since Jan 12, 2009
Posted Jan 23, 2009
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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recently issued a reminder to travelers from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries that they must now obtain advance approval through the new Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). The ESTA requirement is only for travel under the VWP. Thus, individuals who are citizens of VWP countries, but are seeking entry to the U.S. in a category other than the VWP, do not need to utilize ESTA. VWP travelers, however, do need to be apprised of these new requirements.
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ESTA Requirements Effective January 12, 2009
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In a press release, the DHS reminded travelers that the ESTA requirements went into effect on January 12, 2009. Regular MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers may recall a full discussion of the VWP and ESTA programs in our articles, Electronic System for Travel Authorization Now Online (Aug 29, 2008) and Enhanced Electronic Security Measure for Visa Waiver Program (Jun 13, 2008), available on MurthyDotCom.
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ESTA Requirement for Pre-Travel Clearance
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VWP travelers now must obtain ESTA approval before traveling to the United States. ESTA is a web-based system that determines the preliminary eligibility of individuals to enter the United States. Since its launch in August 2008, more than 1.2 million ESTA applications have been processed, resulting in an approval rating of greater than 99.6 percent. Most applications are processed in seconds, according to the DHS.
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ESTA Approval Does Not Guarantee Entry
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While an ESTA approval is required before a VWP traveler can board an international carrier bound for the United States, U.S. Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) may still deny entry to a VWP traveler based upon a number of factors. An individual must be seeking entry for purposes consistent with the VWP.
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Visa Waiver Program Nations
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The citizens or nationals of the following countries are currently eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, the Republic of Korea, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.
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Conclusion
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As with any new program, there was some reported confusion during the initial days of ESTA implementation, as some travelers were not aware of the requirement. Travelers need to be mindful of the need to double check legal requirements before traveling to any country and should not simply rely on past practices or assumptions. We will continue to monitor changes to the VWP and ESTA to help MurthyDotCom and MurthyBulletin readers plan their travel to the United States.