The US Electronic System for Travel Authorization ("ESTA") was implemented in 2009 for visa-exempt nationals who travel to the USA by air or sea. The document must be obtained online prior to departure. You can check if you qualify for the US ESTA by completing our online application.
iVisa offers an easy online application process for travelers who need a US ESTA. Travelers simply fill out an online application form and the ESTA is delivered via email. We suggest passengers print out and bring a physical copy of the document on their trip. The check-in staff at the airport can verify the ESTA on their system. However, we highly recommend clients to keep a copy of their ESTA on their electronic device or preferably print it out. It is all a very simple process.
Required Documents to Apply
Valid electronic passport with a digital chip containing bio-metric info
Credit/debit card or PayPal account for payment
Important Instructions
You are required to apply for ESTA if you intend to enter the United States by air or sea, under the Visa Waiver Program. However, ESTA is not required if you are entering by land.
The ESTA is valid for up to 2 years after issued or until the travelerās passport expires, whichever comes first.
Valid for multiple entries into the U.S. or for multiple connections through the U.S.
Travelers must have their passport with at least 6 months of validity from the planned date of entry.
If your passport was issued on or after 26th October 2005 it must have a digitally applied photograph.
If your ESTA expires while in the US it will not affect your departure.
You will be able to change any itinerary on a current Travel Authorization. ESTA is designed so that you can update a valid Travel Authorization. It is not necessary to have a flight booking or hotel reservation to initially apply for a Travel Authorization.
Travelers must obtain a new ESTA authorization if s/he is issued a new passport, or changes his/her name, gender, or country of citizenship.
NOTE: Receiving ESTA authorization does not mean you may stay in the U.S. for 2 years after issued. It only allows you to travel to the U.S. under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) is an automated system that assists in determining eligibility to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and whether such travel poses any law enforcement or security risk. Upon completion of an ESTA application, a traveler is notified of his or her eligibility to travel to the United States under the VWP.
The ESTA cost for the US is USD 14.00 . Additionally, there is a service fee of USD 15.00 for standard processing. For Rush and Super Rush processing, the service fee is USD 45.00 and USD 65.00 respectively.
Yes, accompanied and unaccompanied children (regardless of age) require their own ESTA prior to their travel to the U.S. Children listed on their parents' passport do not qualify for an ESTA. Children must have their own (un-expired) passport in order to qualify for an ESTA.
You should apply at least 3 days before your arrival. However, since the ESTA is valid for 2 years after issued, it is recommended that you apply as soon as you are able.
The US ESTA approvals will be granted for a period of 2 years after issued or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever comes first. The ESTA will show the applicable validity dates.
You must get the US Visa at one of their embassies if any of the following conditions apply to you:
(1) If you will arrive in the USA aboard an air carrier (by plane).
(2) If you will visit the USA for more than 90 days.
(3) If you are traveling to the USA for a purpose other than short-term tourism or business.
Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iran, Iraq, Sudan, or Syria are NOT eligible for an ESTA.
In addition, nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iran, Iraq, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Somalia and Yemen on or after March 1, 2011 are not eligible for an ESTA.
No. If your ESTA is approved, it only states that you are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, but does not guarantee that you are admissible to the United States. Upon arrival in the USA, you will be inspected by an Immigration officer who will determine that you are admissible under the Visa Waiver Program and/or any other United States law.
Citizen/nationals of one of the countries can apply for the ESTA under the Visa Waiver Program:
Andorra,
Australia,
Austria,
Belgium,
Brunei,
Chile,
Czech Republic,
Denmark,
Estonia,
Finland,
France,
Germany,
Greece,
Hungary,
Iceland,
Ireland,
Italy,
Japan,
Latvia,
Liechtenstein,
Lithuania,
Luxembourg,
Monaco,
Netherlands,
New Zealand,
Norway,
Portugal,
Republic of Malta,
San Marino,
Singapore,
Slovakia,
Slovenia,
South Korea,
Spain,
Sweden,
Switzerland,
Taiwan,
United Kingdom
NOTE: The citizens of the new countries of Curacao, Bonaire and St Maarten (the former Netherlands Antilles) are not eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program if they are applying for admission with passports from these countries.
The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is administered by the DHS (Dept. of Homeland Security) and enables eligible citizens or nationals of designated countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business (for stays of up to 90 days) without first obtaining a visa.
Individuals who possess a valid visa will still be able to travel to the United States on that visa for the purpose for which it was issued. Individuals traveling on valid visas are not required to apply for an ESTA.
The maximum stay is 90 days Per Entry . The ESTA is valid for 2 years after issued (or when your passport expires, whichever occurs first) and allows you multiple entries during its validity period. However, each entry cannot exceed 90 days Per Entry.
No. If your ESTA expires after you arrive in the U.S., it will not affect your departure. However, once you have departed you will need to renew your ESTA in order to re-enter the U.S.
Every nation around the world has heard about the American Dream, right? The US is the land of opportunity, and dogs walk around with bagel around their tails. While that is not entirely true, you cannot miss the chance to visit the States. There are good and bad things, just like anywhere else in the world, but the main thing you should remember is that a trip to the US can be a life-changing experience. Here is what you should know about the United States before you take a trip there.
First of all, you cannot grasp just how huge the United States is. To get a clear picture, a flight from New York to LA lasts just as much as one from New York to London. Is that clear enough for you? The United States cover a continent from one coast to the other, so it makes sense that is big, right? While that may not affect you, you should probably be aware that you cannot explore many of the states in just one vacation. Just make an itinerary of the things that you would like to see, and take it from there.
Something that will have a significant impact on you is the number of people. There are a lot of them, and big cities are usually packed. Plus, and you are going to like this one, there are so many cultures in just one country that it will make your head spin. You can find people of all races, religions, and different whatever you can think of. You could say that the United States is a melting pot of different cultures, but that is one of its beauties. Needless to say, you need to show respect for each and single culture you come across to. Otherwise, your trip will not be as pleasant as expected.
While most of the countries in the world have the metric system, the United States still have the imperial system. I am saying āstillā because a lot of people would want to go from imperial to metric. It makes more sense for most people. Plus, they have names for every measurement which can be a hella confusing for foreigner used to the metric system. Do you want a gallon of milk or just a few ounces? Who knows? Only the American do.
Another thing that will probably baffle you is shopping. Not because you may have difficulties in choosing from the vast variety of products, but because the price on the shelf and the total you need to pay at check-out are different. Why? Because the prices tag at the shelf does not contain tax. At all. The cashier adds the tax when you want to leave. So make sure that you have more money than you think you need before going to a grocery store.
Tipping, while it is voluntary in theory, is more of a must. That is because waiters work on a minimum wage, and they depend on your tip to make a good living. It seems a bit backward, to be honest, but that is the practice in the United States. As if that were not enough, tipping is considerably generous. It needs to be somewhere between 15% and 20% of the total amount you need to pay.
The worst part about this is that some tourists declared that they were harassed because they tipped too little. That is not a general rule, but if there is a bad time to be a cheapskate, this is it.
You may be a bit overwhelmed if you visit the big cities in the United States. For example, New York is an enormous city, and while you cannot get lost thanks to the mighty internet, it will be a little too much. Especially if you are not used to metropolitan areas. There are a lot of people everywhere at any given time. New York is not called the city that never sleeps for no reason.
One of the things that you will love about the United States is that you can find places open 24/7 almost everywhere. Do you want Thai food at 5 AM in the morning? No problem. There are probably a dozen such places open at that hour. You can get everything anytime, which is one of the aspects that foreigners usually love.
Another aspect that tourists appreciate in the United States is the food. As you can imagine, the best restaurants in the world are in the US. New York and San Francisco have a lot of restaurants that have Michelin stars, which we all know that it is not nothing. Of course, you need to afford to eat at one of those restaurants, but if you do, you should definitely try it. Famous chefs cook there, and the food is heavenly.
Speaking of food, the Americans eat a lot of beef. They do eat chicken and pork as well, but the beef is the primary meat in consumption. That is one of the reasons why Montana has three times more cows than people. Even so, you find a vast variety of dishes that contain rare beef, and you should try it at least once.
Lastly, you should know that people in the United States are generally nice and welcoming. Some things will come off as cold, like the way they say goodbye or the fact that they hang up the phone without saying goodbye, but they are sociable and friendly. They are always curious about new people, and chances are that they will make you feel at home.
The bottom line is that you can find pretty much whatever you want in the United States. You should also explore nature while there because the United States has the most beautiful national parks in the world. Do not limit yourself to urban areas. Other than that, you will enjoy your experience there, and you will probably want to come back to check out the parts that are not a part of your initial itinerary.
An e-Visa is an official document permitting entry into and travel within a certain country. The e-Visa is an alternative to visas issued at the ports of entry or visiting an embassy/consulate to obtain traditional paper visas.
e-Visas are linked electronically to the traveler's passport.
Our service starts with information. You can use our up-to-date visa requirements tool to search if you need a travel visa. It's as simple as telling us where you are from and where you are going. Based on this information we will tell you how much the visa costs, the number of entries, the start date and give you an action step such as applying directly on our site!
The best place to find this information is our visa requirement tool. Each country has different entry rules and visa fees. If you are in a rush you can also apply online and the form will give you this information as well.
It depends on the country issuing the visa. For many countries such as Australia ETA and Turkey e-Visa, the process can be done in 15 minutes through our rush service. For other countries such as the India tourist Visa, the process usually takes 24 hours. The exact time can be found on each application form. What we guarantee is that your application with iVisa will be the fastest way to apply anywhere.
We help you get your travel visa in the simplest and fastest way possible. Through easy-to-use online application forms and world-class 24/7 customer service, we make the whole visa process quick and simple! We also use best practices when it comes to protecting your data and credit card.
iVisa offers two types of Visa: Electronic visas (e-Visas) and traditional paper visas, based on your destination.
In addition, we also offer the following services/documents that are required by certain countries: ETA (electronic travel authorization), Tourist Cards, Visa on Arrival pre-registration/approval form, Tourist Invitation Letters, and Embassy Registration service.
Please note most countries offer the ability to process a travel visa without a service fee. The main reason we process thousands of travel visas per month is we save you time and frustration. Our service includes an easy to use website and application form. It is much easier to process your application with us especially for mobile users and large groups. We send all of our clients the visa days before travel. This is especially helpful for those passengers who purchase the visa months in advance. We also have a 24-hour customer service with professionals that are based in the United States and speak English. We accept multi-currencies and our website can be translated into over 20 languages. We believe our fee is worth your time and sanity but please note all governments do have their own "free" service.
If you have already applied on our site, please log in to your account and look for your order/application. An account is generated for you automatically after payment is received. Click the link in your confirmation email to set up a password or visit the log in page to set up the password and enter the account. Please note in most cases your visa will be delivered to you via email and can be found in your account after logging in.
This is a rare scenario. However, if your application gets rejected, we will issue you a full refund for the government fee and the processing fee under our 100% approval guarantee. This refund will be given via credit to be used for a future order.
If you need further assistance, do not hesitate to contact us. Our customer service specialists will be more than glad to help you.
If we have not processed your visa, we can make changes without a problem. We do check your information for mistakes as well. If you have already processed your visa, If we have submitted your application to the appropriate government agencies, some will allow to make changes, while others do not. Please contact us immediately (preferably through chat) if you notice an error on your application.
Some countries may require proof of yellow fever vaccination if you are arriving from a country with risk of yellow fever. You can see more info here: https://wwwnc.cdc.gov/travel/destinations/list
It's the passengerĀ“s own responsibility to verify these regulations before traveling to the chosen country.
All visas grant travelers the permission to travel to a country's port of entry. Whether you are granted entry or not will be at the discretion of the Immigration Officer at the entry point.
We know that our applicants can come across unexpected changes in their travel plans that may prevent them from traveling and therefore getting their visa. This is why we understand you may want to request a cancellation of your visa application and a credit for the amount paid. However, we will only approve the refund/credit if it follows our Refund policy guideline:
If your application has not been reviewed by our team, nor submitted to the government for approval, then you will receive a credit for the full amount of the iVisa processing fee and government fee(visa cost).
If your application has been reviewed by our team but has not yet been submitted to the government for approval, you will receive a credit for the full amount of the government fee (visa cost).
If your application has been submitted to the government for approval or a visa is already issued, unfortunately, no credit is available.
Our policy also applies to these circumstances:
If we make a mistake on your application, a 100% refund of the iVisa processing fee will be issued and we will process your visa again at no cost.
If you purchase rush or super rush processing additional fee and we do not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a credit for the iVisa rush or super rush processing fee.
If you miss your trip because iVisa does not deliver the travel document within the agreed timeframe, you will receive a full cash refund for the government fee and iVisa processing fee.
The exception to the clause above is if the government is the cause of the delay or your arrival date was sooner than our super rush processing time. In such case, you will receive a credit for the iVisa processing fee.
If for any reason, you are not satisfied with our services, please feel free to contact us. Under reasonable circumstances, we will grant a credit of the iVisa processing fee to be used for a future order.
When the visa has to be shipped to you, the processing times do not include this shipping time. It is from when we receive your application to obtaining the approval.
Most visas (e-Visas) are sent via email upon approval so shipping times will not apply.
All citizens from these territories applying through our website will have their application processed with the nationality/citizenship specified in their passport. As an example, a traveler from Puerto Rico will have their request processed as USA nationality. This does not apply to the travelers under the BOTC (British Overseas Territories Citizen) category according to the British Overseas Territories Act of 2002.
