Visa waivers? ESTA?

Hello!

So I'm going to the states in May with my British family in tow.... I'm the only US passport holder... My daughter and I are traveling alone TO the states and my husband/stepdaughter are following a few days later.

Does my 4 month old daughter need an ESTA?

I assume my husband needs one....what about my stepdaughter?

We will be there for just over two weeks

All travellers who are British citizens and do not hold US citizenship must apply for an ESTA before travel... regardless of age.

So, your husband, step-daughter and 4-month-old daughter will all need to apply for ESTA.

From the ESTA website (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/faq?lang=en):

Do I need to apply for an ESTA on behalf of my children?

Yes, accompanied and unaccompanied children (regardless of age) who are nationals or citizens of visa waiver countries are required to have their own ESTA approval prior to their travel to the U.S.

If you have completed an ESTA application for a minor, you may check the second option on the Waiver of Rights section (Third Parties Only). You should understand the terms of ESTA on behalf of your child or children, and you should answer the questions and statements truthfully as their guardian.

Those children listed on their parents passport do not qualify for ESTA. Children must have their own (un-expired) passport in order to qualify for ESTA.

Children's passport (Kinderreisepass) are not eligible for the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), unless issued or extended before or on 26 October 2006. The document must then meet normal VWP eligibility requirements in that it be machine-readable and if issued/renewed/extended on or after October 26, 2005, possess a digital photograph of the bearer integrated into the biographical data page. All Children's ID (Kinderausweis) require a visa and are not eligible for the VWP.

Hello!

So I'm going to the states in May with my British family in tow.... I'm the only US passport holder... My daughter and I are traveling alone TO the states and my husband/stepdaughter are following a few days later.

Does my 4 month old daughter need an ESTA?

I assume my husband needs one....what about my stepdaughter?

We will be there for just over two weeks

Just out of curiosity, is there a reason you're not registering your daughter as a USC and getting her a US passport?

If you lived in the USA for 5 years of your life (which presumably you have as you are on a visa in the U.K.), your daughter is American. 

You’ll need to register her birth at the US embassy and have her passport issued before you can travel. It would be illegal to apply for an ESTA as an American…. 

Your husband and stepdaughter need ESTAs.

And you’ll both want a letter granting travel with the children solo (you’ll need one from your husband, your husband will need a letter from stepdaughters mother if she is still living)

Oh my gosh... How do they expect us to know all this! Thank you so much!

The good news is you’ll be able to get the child tax credits for 2020 (if your baby was born in 2020) which is $1400. And I think you’ll be able to get 2020 stimulus money for baby as well.

Here’s the details:  https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/citizenship/consular-report-of-birth-abroad-crba-and-first-u-s-passport/

Appointments are like unicorns on the moon. You need to get on this NOW if you want to travel soon. This is the app you’ll want to download:  Telegram.
Then you want to join this group: U.S. London Embassy Alerts

Turn notifications on and when you see CRBA appointments have been released, DROP EVERYTHING and get one booked. You will want to know the info required on the form before you register so that you have everything to hand to enter FAST so you get the appointment booked. Do not underestimate how few slots there are and how many people are trying to get appointments.

You, baby, and Baby’s father are required to attend the appointment.

If I'm filling out all of these forms at once and it requires a social security number when she doesn't yet have one, should I just put 000-00-0000?

If I'm filling out all of these forms at once and it requires a social security number when she doesn't yet have one, should I just put 000-00-0000?

You'll apply for her social security number at the appointment at the same time as the CRBA.  The CRBA and first passport will be returned quite quickly (3 weeks or so), the social will take quite a bit longer.  You'll want to apply for an extension for your taxes (extending the deadline from June 15 to Dec 15).

Oh? Wait...I'm confused. Why would I want to apply for an extension on my taxes? She was born in 2022, so not till next tax year does she matter, am I right?

Also, I'm referring to the form they require you to fill out prior to coming to the appointment. You have to fill it out online but print it and they say not to change/write in answers, yet it won't let you finish the form unless you input a social security number (which for my daughter does not exist yet), hence the 000-00-0000?

You should be completing the following forms:

Application for Consular Report of Birth Abroad (CRBA) - form DS-2029

Application for a passport: Form DS-11

Application for a Social Security number: form SS-5

See:
https://uk.usembassy.gov/u-s-citizen-services/citizenship/consular-report-of-birth-abroad-crba-and-first-u-s-passport/

 


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Yes. And for the DS-11 there is a required field asking for a social security number. I'm just going to put all zeros in, as it won't allow me to leave it blank, and I cannot print the form unless I complete that portion.

I hope that's right!

Yes, all zeros will be fine if it allows it. If it doesn’t, just print it and complete by hand.

Have you looked at getting an appointment yet?  We booked a couple of weeks ago for April 11.  I worry you won’t have an appointment before your departure which would mean an emergency passport will be needed.

Sorry, when you said she was 4 months, I assumed she had been born before last year.  Which is a bummer as the cash is SUPER COOL!  Especially the stimulus money.  So no, no need to extend taxes for hr social, because as you said, she was born in 2022. 

As KF said, you can get an emergency passport. Costs more but at least the stress is alleviated. It's just getting that appointment. They're typically held in a morning so also start planning travel arrangements if you don't live near London.

The trickiest evidence is evidence of living in the USA over the age of 14. Most people get high school or college transcripts.

Thank you. Yes, I keep checking for cancelled appointments. Crossing fingers one presents itself.

I just wish there was like a "now that you have your visa, if you plan to have a child" pamphlet they would offer after your first approval haha

Ok, crossing fingers!

Thank you. Yes, I keep checking for cancelled appointments. Crossing fingers one presents itself.

I just wish there was like a "now that you have your visa, if you plan to have a child" pamphlet they would offer after your first approval haha

Ok, crossing fingers!

DEFINITELY join the Telegram group I listed above.  If you don't, you have no hope of getting an appointment - and I'm not exaggerating.  The embassy was closed to CRBA appointments for nearly two years so now that they are back on, there's a huge number of people to register their babies.  So many have had to go down the emergency route (which at once point could only be done 2 days before departure, but is now a generous 5 days before departure).  And we know plenty of people who couldn't get an emergency appointment.  It has been a tough couple of years!