Granted rights by ESTA visa
All eligible nationals or citizens of VWP (Visa Waiver Program) countries who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure (for stays of up to 90 days) under VWP are required to receive an authorization through ESTA prior to boarding a U.S.-bound airplane or vessel. The term "United States" refers to the continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Guam, the Virgin Islands of the United States, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands.
Accompanied and unaccompanied children, regardless of age, are also required to obtain an independent ESTA approval.
Applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States. 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.
If your electronic travel authorization is approved, this approval establishes that you are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, but does not guarantee that you are admissible to the United States. Upon arrival in the United States you will be inspected by a Customs and Border Protection officer at a port of entry who may determine that you are inadmissible under the Visa Waiver Program or for any reason under United States law.
Eligible nationals or citizens of countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program require either an ESTA or a visa to transit the United States. If a traveler is only planning to transit through the United States en route to another country, when he or she completes the ESTA application, the traveler should enter the words "In Transit" and his or her final destination in the address lines under the heading “Address While In The United States.”
The US ESTA visa waiver is a mandatory requirement for all travelers from visa-exempt nationalities to visit the United States of America, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP), permits citizens of 40 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. In return, those 40 countries must permit U.S. citizens and nationals to travel to their countries for a similar length of time without a visa for business or tourism purposes. Passengers simply have to complete a quick online form to receive an approved ESTA linked to the traveler’s passport. This only takes a few minutes to complete.
You must have an e-passport to use the VWP. An e-Passport is an enhanced secure passport with an embedded electronic chip. You can readily identify an e-Passport, because it has a unique international symbol on the cover.
Attention! Travelers in the following categories are no longer eligible to travel or be admitted to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP):
This online application system was introduced by the United States government in 2009 to facilitate the process of applying for a US visa waiver for purposes of tourism, business, or to transit through the country to another destination.
An approved ESTA is a multiple–entry travel authorization. This means the holder can travel to the United States multiple times on commercial flights or cruises during its period of validity (2 years from the date of issue, or until the current passport expires). It is also important that the approved ESTA application has up-to-date personal information.
Holders of an ESTA may stay in the USA, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands for up to 90 days with each approved entry to the country.
ESTA is not required if entering the US, Puerto Rico, or the US Virgin Islands by land, or by local ferries from Canada. It is mandatory for all passengers under the visa waiver program arriving by air or by cruise ship.
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