Why do you need ESTA for US Traveling?
Added: (Wed Jan 25 2012)
Pressbox (Press Release) -
Are you are planning to travel to the US on business or leisure for up to 90 days in the near future? And are you a passport holder from one of the eligible countries under the Visa Waiver Program?
If you are, then you must apply first for an Electronic System Travel Authorization or ESTA for USA.
Aside from your valid passport, dollars and tickets, all passengers traveling under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) are now required to go online and fill in the online ESTA form and have it approved before traveling to the United States by air or sea.
Passport holders from participating VWP countries even those non-ticketed infants who wish to travel through the United States are now required to have an approved United States ESTA travel authorization prior to travelling to the US if they do not have a visa for travel to the United States.
The ESTA document has been a mandatory requirement for participating travelers from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries namely Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Malta, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom planning to visit the country since early 2010.
ESTA to USA is an automated prescreening system where nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries are required to complete online ESTA America form, similar to the I-94W form (formerly paper-based and filled on arrival by participating VWP citizens) in advance of travel to the United States. This is done in order to strengthen the security of travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program.
So how does the travel authorization process works?
All passengers traveling under the Visa Waiver Program are required to complete the online automated ESTA form in the secure public Web site provided by the Department of Homeland Security and the United States Customs and Border Protection. Once nationals of participating VWP countries enter the required biographic, travel, and credit card information on the secure Web site, their ESTA application is processed by the system to determine if they are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program without a visa.
Once approved, the ESTA system will then provide them with an automated response and this approval establishes that they are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, though it does not guarantee that they are permitted to enter the United States.
Prior to boarding, a carrier will electronically verify with the United States Customs and Border Protection that the traveler has an approved travel authorization on file. Upon arrival in the United States, the VWP national will then be inspected by a Customs and Border Protection officer at a port of entry who may determine that they are inadmissible under the Visa Waiver Program or for any reason under United States law.
ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States, though the Department of Homeland Security recommends that travel authorization applications be submitted at least 72 hours prior to travel.
Unless revoked, travel authorizations are valid for two years from the date of authorization, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.