{"id":10043,"date":"2019-08-15T11:07:07","date_gmt":"2019-08-15T15:07:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/?p=10043"},"modified":"2020-12-10T11:41:23","modified_gmt":"2020-12-10T15:41:23","slug":"traveling-to-the-usa-the-need-to-apply-for-a-us-esta","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.budgetyourtrip.com\/blog\/2019\/08\/traveling-to-the-usa-the-need-to-apply-for-a-us-esta\/","title":{"rendered":"Traveling to the USA? The Need to Apply for a US ESTA"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In 2009, the United States government introduced the Electronic Travel Authorization or the ESTA<\/strong>. It is required for all citizens of visa-exempt countries who wish to enter the country by sea or air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

You might ask why there\u2019s a need to apply for ESTA<\/a> if you\u2019re from a country which doesn\u2019t need a visa. Being from these countries is a privilege granted by the US government. It’s a good thing since you don’t have to feel stressed about applying for a visa in an American embassy in your country. You know that it\u2019s a lengthy promise, and you don\u2019t want to go through it. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, you need to understand that the government has the right to change its immigration policies based on the situation. Due to the spike of terrorist attacks in the US especially in the early 2000\u2019s, the government decided to introduce the ESTA. It helps the Department of Homeland Security assess the people entering the country, even those from visa-exempt countries, and ensure the safety of all travelers and American citizens. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s an easy process<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Before you complain\nabout the need to get this electronic\napproval, you need to understand that it doesn’t take a lot of time. You\ncan do it online, and you won’t have to pay a lot. You can even do it now if\nyou already finalized your travel plans to the United States.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It takes some weeks for you to get approval, but the government website requests you to apply 72 hours at least before your departure from the home country. Before you start the process, you need to understand what you need to provide and verify all information. Remember that if the government doesn\u2019t grant you an approval, you will need to get a B-1 Visitor visa or a B-2 Tourist visa. Between a regular visa process and an ESTA application, you would rather go through the latter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It also applies to US transit<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re heading to another country, but you need to stop in the US due to the lack of direct flights, you need to get an ESTA. For instance, if you\u2019re traveling to Mexico<\/a>, but there\u2019s a connecting flight in New York, you need to request for approval; otherwise, you can\u2019t continue the next leg of your trip. You also don\u2019t want to get asked to turn back to your city of origin because of document problems. It won\u2019t only waste time, but you might also have to spend a lot. You will even cancel all your travel plans due to this issue. \u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There\u2019s no guarantee <\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Although the\napplication process is easy, it doesn’t guarantee your approval right away. The\ngovernment will first conduct checks to determine the validity of your travel\nauthorization. The good thing is that if you followed the required steps and\nremained truthful in responding to each part, you won’t have any problem. After\nthe application, the government will respond with either:<\/p>\n\n\n\n