Visa-free travel · ESTA

ESTA step by step: who can use it, how to apply and what the result means

Tick items as you finish them. Your progress is saved on this device only.

The usual order

Apply at least 72 hours before you travel. The fee and rules change, so check the official site.

BeforeCheck that your country and trip fit ESTA
At least 72 hours before the flightApply on the official site and pay
After you submitCheck the status with your application number
If approvedTravel for up to 90 days each visit
If not authorizedApply for a visa instead

What ESTA is, and what it is not

Know if ESTA is the right thing, or if you need a visa.

Before you apply

	ESTA (Visa Waiver)	Visitor visa (B-1/B-2)
Who	Citizens of Visa Waiver countries	Everyone else, and some who prefer a visa
Stay	Up to 90 days each visit	Up to the time on your I-94 (often up to 6 months)
How to get it	Online form, usually a quick answer	DS-160, fee, interview at an embassy
Good for	Tourism, visiting family, short business	The same
Not allowed	Study, work, living there	Study, work, living there

Visitor visa process →I-94 calculator →

Check that you can use ESTA

Do not pay for an ESTA you cannot use.

Before you pay

Your passport is from a country in the Visa Waiver Program. Check the current list on the official CBP ESTA site
Your passport is an e-passport (it has a small chip symbol on the cover)
You are going for tourism, visiting family or short business, for 90 days or less
You have not been refused a U.S. visa or entry, and have never stayed longer than allowed
You have a return or onward ticket, if the airline asks

Gather what you need

Finish the form in one sitting.

Before you open the form

Your passport, with the photo page
A card to pay with (Visa, Mastercard and others are accepted)
An email address you check
The address where you will stay in the U.S., and an emergency contact
Your employer's name and address, if you work
Your parents' names, as the form may ask

Open the official site and start

Use only the real government site.

First screen

Picture: a drawing of the first ESTA screen. The real screens look a little different.

Choose to start a new application
Read and accept the privacy notice
Type your passport details carefully, or scan the passport page if the site offers it

Fill in your details

True answers, copied from your passport.

Picture: your trip and contact details.

Name, birth date and passport number exactly as in the passport
Your home address, phone and email
Where you will stay in the U.S., and a phone number for an emergency contact
Social media: the form may ask for the accounts you use. Answer as the form asks

Answer the eligibility questions

Honest answers to every question.

Several yes or no questions

Picture: read each question slowly.

The questions are about health, crime, earlier visa refusals, staying too long in the U.S., and trips to certain countries
Answer every one truthfully. A wrong "No" can lead to a refusal at the border and a ban
If a "Yes" makes you unsure whether ESTA fits you, consider applying for a visa instead

Review, pay and submit

Check, pay once, save the number.

Last pages

Read every answer once more, especially the passport number
Pay the fee on the official site only. The amount can change. See our fee guide
Write down or save your application number
You cannot change the passport number after you submit. Make a new application if it was wrong

Check your status

Know what the answer means.

After you pay

Picture: the three results you can get.

Approved: you may travel. It is usually good for up to 2 years, or until your passport expires, for many visits of up to 90 days each
Pending: wait, then check the status again. Apply at least 72 hours before you travel to be safe
Not authorized: you may not use ESTA. Apply for a visitor visa at the embassy. See our visitor visa guide and DS-160 guide
Check your status any time on the official site with your application number

Travel and arrive

Enter and leave on time.

Your trip

Fly with the same passport you used in the ESTA
At the border the officer decides if you may enter, and for how long (up to 90 days)
Check your I-94 record on the official I-94 site and count your days with our I-94 calculator
Leave on or before the last day. Staying longer can cancel your ESTA for the future

Who does what

1. Youapply on the official CBP site, with true answers

2. CBPchecks the application and gives a result

3. The border officerstill decides your entry each time

ESTA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry.

Visa Status is an unofficial site. This is a general guide in plain words, not legal advice. The pictures are drawings made for this guide, not copies of government screens. Rules, fees and forms change, so follow the official instructions and your embassy's page. Written October 2026.