New Guide Discussion: Everyone needs ESTA for US travel

A question about : New Guide Discussion: Everyone needs ESTA for US travel

You don't need esta for a land crossing.

You need esta for a sea crossing.

Best answers:

• You don't need esta for a land crossing.
  You need esta for a sea crossing.
• Question: I have a valid ESTA which will expire in January 2011. I'm planning on going to the US after this date next year - can I submit a new form now so that I have another 2 years before I have to pay again?
  Will this just invalidate my old ESTA and make the new one current?
• Yesterday was the last day to get it free. From today you have to pay the $14 per person charge.
  You can reapply today (paying the fee) and if you're accepted it'll be valid till September 2012 (provided your passport doesn't expire before then). This will automatically cancel your current one and you'll be given a new reference number.
  Quote:
• Oh no! Oh well that'll teach me! Thanks for letting me know
• We recently travelled to US and had filled the esta form out. We still had to complete the green card and we were not asked to show our esta. I think the reason people have stopped travelling to the US is because of there attitude to visitors, it has the most unwelcoming imigration people I have ever come across. They treat everyone as a terrorist and are rude and unfriendly.
• My wife and I flew into JFK in May my first time and had no problem at all with imigration thay were all chatty and freindly and we went through very quicky.
• As a regular visitor to the US, I can confirm it is rare to find a polite immigration official - they do exist, but good luck! Beware of the ones wearing dark glasses (indoors!). As for the $14 charge for the ESTA application - with $10 profit for encouraging tourism!! - isn't that simply PROFITEERING?? Would it be illegal to record audio while passing through immigration?
• FWIW, I'm American but have a visa granting indefinate leave to remain in the UK...I've never encountered a particularly friendly UK immigration myself...not in nearly 11 years...but I don't expect immigration officers to be friendly...they aren't working a till at a supermarket, after all...I expect them to be quite serious and perhaps stern..some have been downright scary (and remember, I have a visa)...it's a pretty important job they are doing...so I'm OK with them taking it seriously.
  Do people complain about the costs of advance travel authorisation/visas to visit other countries this much? Are any that do have a fee anything like $14 for 2 years ? I know you Brits don't have to pay $50 for Australia anymore...but I still do...does it occur to me to whine about it? Not so much.
• Hi there, sorry if this has already been asked but I couldnt see it. Thanks to you all I completed the ESTA forms for us before the charge deadline. Ive gone in today to retrieve them to add the address where we are staying and the carrier name and flight number. However, I can't find a field anywhere to add the date of travel? seems odd to me that they wouldnt ask for this, but have checked and double checked and cannot see a date of travel field. Is this correct??? I dont want to miss anything off that is required, so would really appreciate your advice, many thanks!
• ah thats good, thought I needed a trip to Specsavers!! thank you very much for your reply xx
• reminds me of a story I read where the person hadn't put a number down, just a hotel name.
  CBP said "i need a number",
  traveller said "I don't know the number"
  CBP said "I need a number"
  traveller said "1"
  CBP was happy.
• LOL! how daft is that!!!
• I know this is a stupid question, and I know the ESTA lasts 2 years but are you then allowed to travel into the USA as many times as yu want in that 2 year period, or do you have to reapply every visit.
  Thanks