U.S. ESTA and Visa

An ESTA is not the same as visa, it is just an application portal for citizens of countries under the VWP. ESTA does not meet the legal requirements to serve as a U.S. visa. If you hold a valid visa, you can travel to the U.S. without applying for any travel authorization via ESTA for the purpose which the visa was issued.

From the start of the ESTA program, the U.S. Government allows the Department of Homeland Security and Customs and Border Protection to eliminate the requirement that VWP travelers complete an I-94W before admission to the United States. This imply that travelers entering the United States with an approved ESTA under VWP does not need to fill the I-94W form, nor will a green I-94W card be placed in their passport. However, land border crossing still require I-94W form to be filled even if you hold ESTA approval.

More Information on ESTA

An approved ESTA only allow you to board a carrier going to the United States. At the port-of-entry, the ESTA waiver does not guarantee your admission into the country. The Customs and Border Protection officers at the U.S. port will ask you questions and have the authority to permit or deny your entry into their country.

Once in the United States on VWP, you are not permitted to extend your stay beyond the validity of the ESTA approval on your passport. If you wish to extend your stay, you must first return to your resident country and apply from there. Furthermore, you are not permitted to change your status while in the U.S.

For nationals of countries under VWP that entered the U.S. on ESTA visa waiver, they are allowed to take short trip to Canada, Mexico, or other Islands close by and thereafter be admissible to the United States but within their 90 days stay granted by the Customs and Border Protection officers upon their first entry.

ESTA Application Timeline

ESTA application can be started any time before your planned visit to the United States. Gone are the days when many travelers will remember that they have not applied for ESTA at boarding point, they apply at the port and get their approval almost instantly. The United States no longer grant “real-time” ESTA approval. Therefore, travelers are advised to apply for their ESTA visa waiver early before their trip. You cannot board a U.S. bound carrier without ESTA approval if you come from a country under VWP.

ESTA Validity

Your ESTA visa waiver, if granted, is valid for two years from the date of issue or anytime your passport expires. For instance, if your passport will expire in 2021 and you get ESTA approval in 2020, then your ESTA visa waiver expires the same day that the passport expire. You can visit the United States as many times as you want as long as you have ESTA visa waiver, but you may not spend more than 90 consecutive days at any particular visit.

Updating Your ESTA Information

The ESTA website makes your previous data accessible so that you can review them prior to and even after submission. After submitting your application, data such as email address, phone number, carrier name, flight number, U.S. contact address may be corrected or updated on your application. Some of the questions on VWP eligibility may be changed depending on the question, you have to write a mail to the official ESTA website.

A major information change will require a fresh application. A new travel authorization is required through ESTA if:

• Your passport expired and you got a new one.
• You change your name due to marriage or whatever reason.
• You change your sex.
• You change of country of citizenship.
• You think your previous responses to any of the “Yes/No” ESTA application questions has changed.

If your passport got lost or expire within the two year validity period, you can reuse your ESTA information if they remain the same. Note that each ESTA is linked to a passport, you may have to apply afresh for travel authorization so that your new passport number is linked to your ESTA visa waiver.

GETTING YOUR ESTA APPROVED FAST

People commonly ponder and ask frequently if they can submit ESTA application by themselves, the short answer is yes! The application process would seem direct, but travelers within VWP still get their application declined because of nervousness and common mistakes. Reason for ESTA rejection include incorrect information and inability to provide required answers to questions on the form. Most people who DIY often come back to us for guide on “eligibility”, “when to”, “how to”, “what to”, or “what next”.

The official U.S. ESTA application and approval system is automated. There are anticipated responses that the system considers appropriate from traveler depending on the reason for the trip. We completely understand the ESTA system and how it works, we help travelers to process and submit their application with high success rate. As long as you provide us with accurate and complete information, your ESTA approval is guaranteed.

We are a reputable and efficient ESTA processing agency that makes your application easy and free of headaches. We have a team of visa experts who will first review your application for completeness, communicate with you real-time on other helpful information before submitting your application on ESTA portal. We will give you round-the-clock support till your ESTA gets approved. Our ESTA timeline from application to confirmation has always been between minutes and 24 hours, giving us complete and accurate information makes the processing time shorter.

The Support We Provide

• Guide you on eligibility, when to apply and the information to provide.
• Review your application for completeness before submitting on official ESTA portal.
• Monitor your application and give you 24/7 email and phone support.
• Follow your application up until you get your email confirmation.
• Protect your information on our secured database.
• Keep you up-to-date on ESTA information and policy change by U.S. Government.
• Response guide if the U.S. Government question your application prior to approval.