How long do estas take

In fact, the processing time of an ESTA application is a maximum of 72 hours, or three days, even if you apply during a weekend. This extremely short processing time is made possible by the entirely digital operation of the ESTA system which makes the processing of applications much simpler. The response to your ESTA application, or your travel authorisation confirmation, will be sent to you by email to the email address you gave when completing your application form.

However, in reality, and depending on the website you used to complete your application you may notice that in reality the time is often much shorter. Generally speaking you will only have to wait for a few hours before receiving your confirmation email.

Once your ESTA has been confirmed then you have nothing further to do. As it is an electronic travel authorisation and therefore attached digitally to your passport then you do not need to print this document and present a physical paper copy during your travel. The immigration and customs authorities as well as airport personnel will be able to view this authorisation when they scan your passport during the boarding and arrival procedures.

As you may have noticed the processing time for an ESTA application is far more rapid than that for obtaining a visa. We have just noted that the confirmation of your ESTA is sent rapidly and directly to you by email which may tempt you to leave the application procedure until the last few days before your visit. However, in all cases we recommend you apply well in advance to ensure that you have plenty of time to explore other possibilities in case of any mishap which, if you do not leave enough time, could cause a major upset to your plans for visiting the United States.

This would notably be the case if, despite all your expectations, you receive a negative response from the American authorities which means that your ESTA has been refused. In this case you may still be able to visit the USA but through another administrative method. For example if the refusal is due to a mistake you made when completing the application form then you have the opportunity to reapply online after waiting for 10 days following the receipt of the refusal.

If the refusal is due to another reason, for example an incompatibility of your application with the regulations of the ESTA system then it may be possible for you to apply for a traditional visa to visit the country. In this case the time required to obtain a travel authorisation will be much longer, in complex situations it can take as long as several months.

In all cases it is therefore highly recommended you complete your ESTA application a few weeks or even a few months before your departure date in order to review other possibilities in the case of a refusal to your initial application. As we mentioned earlier when we explained about the time necessary to obtain a confirmation response to your ESTA application, you will generally only have to wait a few hours for this email response either granting or refusing your ESTA application with a maximum response time of 72 hours.

However if this maximum response time of 72 hours expires and you have not received an email then several explanations are possible. Firstly and before giving in to panic, ensure that you have carefully checked your incoming emails. Check also in your spam and junk email folders as it is quite frequent for the email response from the American authorities to be automatically filed there as it is from an unknown and apparently foreign source.

You could also check that your ESTA application has been successfully submitted. To do so the simplest method is to confirm that the payment has been deducted from your bank account.

As the payment is the last step in successfully submitting your application the latter will not be transmitted to the American authorities for processing unless the payment for costs and fees related to your ESTA has been completed.

If the payment has not been recorded on your bank account then this means that your application has not been successfully submitted. This is often related to a problem occurring at the time of payment. It is therefore important to confirm that there are sufficient funds on your bank account to successfully complete this payment and also check that your bank has not blocked the use of your card for one reason or another.

It is also possible that the submission procedure was interrupted at some point before completion. Therefore, if you think you have completed the payment and close the web pages before completing this security procedure then your payment will not be verified and completed. In this situation you will therefore have to reapply and complete the entire procedure again, checking each step carefully as you do so. In the case whereby you observe that the payment has indeed been deducted from your bank balance then another explanation for the non receipt of your ESTA confirmation email may be an error made when stating your email address during the completion of your application form.

It is possible that your ESTA application has indeed been submitted successfully and confirmed, but sent to an incorrect email address. You will be able to access your application using your passport number and some supplementary information. However, there are cases where a decision on an application may be delayed by up to 72 hours. Once an ESTA application is approved, the user will be notified via their web browser or email. The approval notification will contain the application or authorization number, the expiry date of the ESTA as well as other applicant information provided at the time of submission.

A study of the ESTA processing times conducted by official-esta. ESTA application denials were also examined during the study. These eligibility questions pertain to medical conditions, criminal, immigration and travel history. Furthermore, other factors influencing ESTA denial include multiple citizenships or other information inconsistent with data cross-checked on the applicant by Customs and Border Protection CBP.

Applicants are thus advised to check the status of their ESTA applications if they have not received an update on their application within 24 hours of submission.

Additionally, if there are ESTA website problems then there will be a greater likelihood of experiencing delays in the processing of an ESTA application. If you apply for ESTA, you may stay for as long as 90 days. Although there are no specific rules regarding how many days in advance you need to apply for ESTA, normally you will receive the results of your application within three days, or 72 hours.

Therefore, it is recommended to apply for it at least three days in advance. However, in some cases it may take even longer, due to factors such as the U. The results of your application should be sent about three days after you apply, but we recommend applying for ESTA soon after you decide to travel to the U.

In January , the U. Adoption of ESTA made it possible to check the following things in advance by managing and registering information on travelers coming to the U. These things are intended to confirm in advance whether individual applicants have a status that enables them to visit the U. Nationals of countries that are authorized for the visa waiver program when visiting the U. ESTA can be described as a necessary travel authorization for those entering the U.

ESTA is also required when changing flights heading for another country at an airport in the U. In some cases, travelers who have not applied for ESTA prior to departure have been refused entry to the U. Those who have a visa issued by the U.