Air
Flying to or through any U.S. airport.
Sea
Cruise or vessel arriving at U.S. port.
Business
Meetings. Conferences. No U.S. employment.
Transit
Connecting through U.S. territory.
Tourism
Leisure. Under 90 days.
WHAT IS ESTA
U.S. CBP pre-screening.
Not a travel clearance.
Mandatory since 2009 for VWP nationals.
Linked to passport electronically. No printout.
Valid 2 years. Multiple entries. 90-day max per stay.
Three outcomes: Approved. Pending. Denied.
PIPELINE
INPUT
Passport + personal data + destination details
VALIDATE
Error-check all fields before submission
TRANSMIT
Secure data transfer to CBP systems
RESOLVE
Approved / Pending / Denied — email update
42 ELIGIBLE NATIONS
Form Guidance
Structured input. Field specs.
Error-Checking
Validation before CBP submission.
Status Tracking
Monitor submission state.
Email Updates
Notifications on status changes.
SECURITY
TLS 1.3 encryption in transit
AES-256 encryption at rest
PCI-DSS compliant payments
Card data never stored
Zero third-party data sharing
COMMON QUERIES
All →ESTA fee?
Government fee + service fee. Breakdown in submission.
Processing time?
72 hours typical. Submit 72h+ before departure.
ESTA vs travel clearance?
Pre-screening for VWP nationals. Not a travel clearance.
Official site?
No. Private service. Official: esta.cbp.dhs.gov.
Modify after submit?
Limited updates. Log in or contact support.
Denied — next step?
Apply for U.S. travel clearance at nearest embassy.