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Esta application

ESTA application

The term “ESTA”, an abbreviation for “Electronic System for Travel Authorization”, has great significance for anyone who wants to enter the US, for whatever reason. In short, this is the mandatory transmission of certain safety-related information to the US authorities in order to obtain the basic permission to enter.

Applying for an ESTA permit is required for all travelers who wish to travel through the Visa Waiver Program, ie who do not have a US visa. Herein lies the reason for ESTA: the US offers citizens of various countries, including Germany, Austria and Switzerland, without the need for a visa. However, in order to be able to subject the travelers entering the country via this scheme to a security check (which would normally be done by visa), electronic checks were put in place. The legal basis for these regulations is in the Immigration and Nationality Act. The electronic query and transmission replaces the formerly usual filling of entry cards in the aircraft.

Although the accompanying text to the ESTA application states that it must be submitted no later than 72 hours before departure, should it come to a rejection of the online application, a visa must be applied for, which takes several weeks. As a rule, however, after completing the application, you will receive confirmation within a few seconds that the trip can begin. If all data are available, third parties may also complete the application on behalf of the traveler, for example the travel agent or parents for their children. In any case, an ESTA approval costs $ 14 (as of September 2018); This money flows to a large extent in the promotion of tourism. Payment can be made by credit card or Paypal. There are a few vendors who accept the application for ESTA against payment, the use of such offers is discouraged. Nobody gets a preferential treatment in this procedure and the completion of the application can easily be done by anyone. Questions and explanatory texts are available in German or alternatively in other languages, but the answers must be given in English.

ESTA can only be applied for on the website https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/esta.html. The ESTA approval is valid for two years or until the expiration date of the passport, whichever comes first. Misrepresentations lead to a refusal to grant a permit. If the issuance of an ESTA travel authorization is denied or otherwise fails, the traveler must contact the relevant consulate or embassy.

ESTA application step by step:

1. APPLICANT
Self-explanatory – Enter last name and first name as they are written in the passport and indicate the gender.
2. DECK NAME / ALIAS Enter, if an artist name is entered in the passport, otherwise set to “no”
3. PASSAGES Write down all details from the passport here (passport number, issue and expiry date). A national identity number, as requested here, does not exist in Germany, therefore enter “unknown” in this field. Anyone who was born in a country that no longer exists today (for example, the USSR), enters the name of today’s successor state (“Ukraine”, for example) in “Country of Birth.” Attention, do not confuse zero and O with the passport number!
4. CITIZENSHIP If you have a dual citizenship, you must give details, otherwise set to “no”.
5. PARENTS Enter first and last name of parents. If one or both parents are unknown, enter “unknown” here too.
6. CONTACT INFORMATION Also self-explanatory; address, phone number and e-mail address are given here. There are various reports that difficulties can arise if the email address contains questionable abbreviations (for example, “IS” or similar). In this case, it is better to specify a different address for safety’s sake.
7. EMPLOYER In the simplest case, the name and address of the current employer must be entered here, and those who are currently unemployed take the information for the last employer. Also possible are statements such as “self-employed” (self-employed) or “homemaker” (housewife or houseman). Only those who have never worked, such as Children, should select “no” above.
8. CONTACT PERSON First, if the trip ends in the US or is interrupted longer, the box above must be set to “no”, then the following input window will open. These fields are e.g. to fill out when visiting friends or attending a business meeting in the US. You can also enter the name and address of the (first) hotel in the USA or “unknown” again.
9. ADDRESS IN THE USA Enter the name and address of the (first) hotel in the USA. It is not recommended to use the address of the car rental company here. If you have already entered the hotel address in the previous step, you can check the box on the right “see above”, then the information will be accepted.
10. EMERGENCY CONTACT A sensible query in case of cases. If you do not have an emergency contact or do not want to specify, you can also enter “unknown” here.
11. YES / NO QUESTIONS The old questions about diseases, espionage or terrorist planning must be answered truthfully, especially the questions about previous visas.

After that, the tick for confirming the truthful answer must be set. Then you get another opportunity to check the information provided step by step. If you discover a mistake, you can easily go back and correct, then you end up back on the review page.

Subsequently, the payment is made. After submitting the payment information is usually within a few seconds the confirmation number and also the approval. Sometimes the application is still “in progress” – that is nothing to worry about. If you log in again a few minutes later with the confirmation number, the application is usually confirmed. In rare exceptional cases, it may take up to 72 hours for a notification to arrive. Only in the case that this should be negative, you have to contact the embassy or consulate to apply for a visa. Attention: Despite entering a contact email address, you will not receive notification of the decision; you have to log in again later to check the status.

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