Travelling to the USA? You Need ESTA







Further information and FAQs can be found here:

5 Important Points (thanks to Martin Lewis):

  1. You must complete the ESTA - everyone going to the states by air or sea needs to fill one out, there are no excuses.  If you don't, you may be sent straight back home.
  2. ESTA does not guarantee you entry, it just establishes that you're 'eligible to travel'.  However, there are very few stories of people being denied if you've filled out the form correctly.
  3. You can only fill it out online.  Once you've done it, make sure you keep a note of your reference number somewhere safe.
  4. All accepted applications cost $14 ($4 if rejected).  This isn't a visa charge for entry, it's a charge for getting permission to attempt to enter the country.  The system only accepts Mastercard, Visa and American Express.  It's worth noting that you may be charged a foreign exchange 'load' fee on top by your bank.
  5. Watch out for fake ESTA sites.  Only use official sites.

We would recommend that, if you haven't already, you apply for your ESTA as soon as possible, and you can do that here:

Here are some useful links: