ESTA
Non-Immigrant Visas
ESTA, The Electronic System for Travel Authorization
ESTA is a free, automated system that determines the eligibility of visitors to travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program.
More information on cbp.gov (U.S. Customs and Border Protection).
Notice to Applicants
Press Release, January 12, 2009.
Passport Requirements
Please note that certain types of French passports are not valid for travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. The French emergency or temporary passport is not valid for this purpose. Any French citizen who intends to use a French temporary or emergency passport will need a visa in order to travel to the United States. For further information on the types of French passports that may be used for Visa Waiver travel, please consult the following chart.
Please also note that the software of the ESTA system does not determine which passports are valid for travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA simply records the passport information supplied by the traveler. It is the sole responsibility of the traveler to determine whether s/he holds the appropriate type of passport.
Questions and Answers
To review the videos, click on the questions in the detailed descriptions below.
Complete video (Intro with 7 questions):
Total length 7:01min
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Question 1: What is ESTA?
Total length 1:45 min
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Question 2: What about the privacy of my data?
Total length 0:56 min
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Question 3: What kind of data will ESTA collect?
Total length 0:44 min
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Question 4: What if I need to travel on short notice?
Total length 1:20 min
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Question 5: What if I don't have access to a computer or internet?
Total length 0:44 min
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Question 6: What if I don't speak or write English?
Total length 0:57 min
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Question 7: What if my ESTA form isn't approved?
Total length 1:14 min
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