The ESTA
UK citizens travel to the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme, which means you need an ESTA — an electronic travel authorisation — rather than a visa.
Use the official site. Only the official site.
esta.cbp.dhs.gov — that's it. That's the only place.
Search for "ESTA" and the results will be full of official-looking third-party sites charging £60–£100 for what is a short form. They are not scams in the illegal sense — they will submit your application — but they are charging you a very large markup to type your details into the same free government form. Some are considerably worse than that and simply harvest passport details.
The official fee is modest and payable by card at the end of the application. Check the current amount on the government site itself; it has been increased more than once and any figure quoted elsewhere goes stale fast.
Practicalities
- Everyone travelling needs their own ESTA, including babies.
- Apply at least 72 hours before departure. Most approvals come back within minutes, but a small percentage go to manual review and take days.
- It's valid for two years, or until your passport expires — whichever is sooner. Check whether last trip's is still live before paying again.
- It's tied to your passport number. New passport, new ESTA.
- Answer the security questions honestly. The "have you ever been arrested" question means what it says; a wrong answer discovered at the border is far worse than a truthful yes handled in advance.
What disqualifies you
You cannot use the VWP — and need an actual visa — if you've been arrested or convicted for certain offences, or if you've travelled to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Somalia or Yemen since March 2011. This catches people out. If it applies, start the visa process months ahead; it involves an embassy appointment.
Your passport
UK passports need to be valid for the duration of your stay — the "six months' validity" rule that applies to much of the world does not apply to British citizens entering the USA. Still, if yours expires within six months of travel, renew it. Airline check-in staff apply rules inconsistently and you don't want that argument at 5am.
At the border
You'll be fingerprinted and photographed, and asked a few questions. They're routine:
- Where are you staying? Have the hotel or villa address written down, on paper or on your phone. "Near Disney" is not an answer.
- How long are you staying?
- What's the purpose of your visit?
Answer plainly, don't joke, and let the adults with the party do the talking. Families are processed together.
Don't bring food. Fresh fruit, meat and dairy will be confiscated and can carry a fine. Sealed biscuits and crisps are fine.
Customs
You'll fill in a customs declaration (increasingly done at a kiosk). Declare anything you're bringing in over the allowance — the penalty for an undeclared bottle of spirits is out of all proportion to the duty on it.