ESTA Travel Registration

The Visa Waiver Program (VWP) is administered by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and enables eligible citizens or nationals of certain countries to travel to the United States for tourism or business for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.

Citizens or nationals from all VWP countries are required to obtain an approved travel authorization via ESTA in order to be eligible to travel to the United States under the VWP.

Countries currently enrolled in the VWP:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Korea, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom.

You may travel visa-free if you meet all of the following requirements:

• You are a citizen of one of the above mentioned countries and hold a valid (machine readable/biometric) passport of that country. Please see passport requirements.
• You intend to travel to the United States for business, pleasure or transit only.
• Your stay in the United States does not exceed 90 days.
• You hold a valid return or onward ticket.

ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization):
The ESTA is available at the following website https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/.
Travelers are encouraged to apply as soon as travel is planned. The web-based system will prompt you to answer basic biographical and eligibility questions typically requested on paper I-94W form.  The Web site is translated into multiple languages; however, all answers must be submitted in English.

Applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel. A third party, such as friends, relative, or personnel in the travel industry, may file an application on your behalf. However, the traveler is responsible for the truthfulness and accuracy of all information submitted on his or her behalf. In most cases, travelers will receive one of the following responses within seconds at the ESTA website:

1. Authorization Approved: Travel authorized. We encourage every traveler to print out the ESTA application response in order to maintain a record of the ESTA application number.
2. Travel Not Authorized: Traveler must obtain a nonimmigrant visa at the U.S. Embassy before traveling to the U.S.
3. Authorization Pending: Traveler will need to check the ESTA Web site for updates within 72 hours to receive a final response.

An approved travel authorization via ESTA is:

• Required for all VWP travelers prior to traveling to the U.S. under the VWP.
• Valid, unless revoked, for up to two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first.
• Valid for multiple entries into the U.S.
• Not a guarantee of admission to the United States at a port of entry. ESTA approval only authorizes a traveler to board a carrier for travel to the U.S. under the VWP.

Important Information:
The Visa Waiver Program applies to the United States of America, including Puerto Rico, Guam and the U.S. Virgin Islands. After entering the United States, you may travel to Canada, Mexico or the Caribbean within 90 days and re-enter the U.S. using any mode of transport. You may also enter the U.S. without a visa traveling from Canada or Mexico for up to 90 days.

Passport Requirements for Czech Citizens:
All Czech citizens must have a biometric passport with integrated chip, including infants. The Czech Republic started issuing biometric passports in September 2006.  Please check the issuance date of your passport. Biometric passports issued before March 31, 2009 contain a digital photograph of the holder. As of April 1, 2009, the Ministry of the Interior started issuing passports with chips that contain the holder’s biometric data, including biometric facial image and fingerprints. Travelers can use both types of biometric passports (with photo or photo and fingerprints) for the ESTA registration.

Biometric passport issued by Czech Republic since September 2006

The possession of a biometric passport with integrated chip is a mandatory requirement for citizens of the other new VWP countries, including Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, the Republic of Korea and Slovakia.

Passport Requirements for citizens of the following countries:
United Kingdom, Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, or Switzerland:

All VWP travelers, regardless of age, must present a machine-readable passport.  Families seeking to enter the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program will need to obtain an individual passport for each traveler, including infants.

• As of October 26, 2006, any passport issued on or after this date by a Visa Waiver Program (VWP) country must be a biometric passport for VWP travelers to be eligible to enter the United States without a visa.
• If you were issued a passport on or after October 26, 2006, and it is not a biometric passport, you will need to obtain a visa.
• If your passport does not have this feature, you can still travel without a visa if it is a valid passport issued: before October 26, 2005, and includes a machine-readable zone, or between October 26, 2005, and October 25, 2006, and includes a digital photograph.

Please check the issuance date of your passport before making specific travel arrangements.

The following categories of travelers may not travel using the VWP and require a visa:

• People who intend to work in the United States (paid or unpaid). This also applies to journalists, au-pairs and interns.
• People who intend to stay in the U.S. for more than 90 days.
• People who plan to attend a school or university in the United States.
• People who have been refused admission into, or have been deported from the United States within the past five years, or have previously overstayed on the VWP.
• People who have been arrested or convicted for any offense or crime.
• People who have been afflicted with a serious communicable disease, a dangerous physical or mental disorder, or who are drug abusers or addicts.

If any of the above applies to you, you are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program and will need a visa to enter the United States.

Fact Sheet