Can someone explain ESTA to me for possible US trip?

OK, I have not flown to the US for many, many years and the by land rules are not the same, so I was hoping someone could explain ESTA to me.

We are thinking about doing a shopping weekend in New York next summer, which would necessitate flying there. Mr MLG is British and I, being Canadian / British, know I can be cheap and enter on my Canadian passport to not have to do ESTA or pay for my visa. But I might not, as we seem to get hassled entering on passports from different countries.

So, how soon should we do it before travel?
What's the cost?
Is it good for multiple trips or a certain period?
Do they staple stuff in your passport like by land?      

Thanks in advance!  

So, how soon should we do it before travel?
What's the cost?
Is it good for multiple trips or a certain period?
Do they staple stuff in your passport like by land?      

My daughter and her boyfriend are in the states right now visiting my family. The boyfriend had to do the ESTA deal. It cost $14 and it covers your travel into the states for a year two years (multiple entries). They do recommend you do it 72 hours before entering the US. My daughter and her boyfriend were at the Leeds festival up until the day before their departure to the US. So he ended up doing his registration about 12 hours before his flight which was fine, although his bags ended up getting extensively searched. We're not sure if the late registration is the reason for the search, or just because he looks like a 20-year old stoner.   As far as I know they didn't staple it into his passport like they did the green landing cards.

HTH!

Thanks. I don't look 20 years old, and not like a stoner, either, though pot smoking is a stereotype of my province and have had comments of such by some US border guards. 


So the question is, is paying $28 USD worth the likely hassle we'll get if using UK / Canadian passport combination......

 

So the question is, is paying $28 USD worth the likely hassle we'll get if using UK / Canadian passport combination......

Well, for a British citizen, it's not an option, it's a requirement for all citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries... so if your husband wants to enter the US, he has no choice... they won't even let him on the plane in the UK if he hasn't completed the ESTA before flying.

Basically, it is a replacement of the green I-94W landing card that you used to fill out on the plane if you were travelling on the VWP. Now, instead of handing you the green landing card on the plane, you are required to fill it out online before you travel (the ESTA). It basically determines if you are able to enter the US without a visa or not.

Edited (sorry, posted before I'd finished writing it!) to add:
It's pretty straightforward... you answer the questions and pay the $14 ($10 fee, plus $4 processing charge) and then get the ESTA approval through. You don't have to print anything off to take with you as it will be in the US immigration system, but you can if you want to.

The ESTA is valid for 2 years and so as long as your details or circumstances don't change, you don't have to do it again for another 2 years. But if your address changes or you get any convictions or anything, you have to update it and pay again.

If it turns out you are not approved for ESTA, you will need to apply for a visa to enter the US... which can take a few months, which is why they recommend doing it well in advance. You're supposed to do it no later than 72 hours before the flight, but as CuppyCake found, it is possible to do it last minute.

They won't staple anything into your passport, I don't think, because there's nothing to staple - the ESTA is just an electronic number in the system that is linked to your passport number.

Although I'm a UK citizen, I've been told by the US Embassy I'm not eligible for the VWP/ESTA anymore (due to a conviction), so I've had to apply for visitor visas to enter the US for the last few years and will have to do so for the rest of my life.

I personally think it would be worth you spending the $14 for yourself.  While not required as you can enter on your Canadian passport, I think you could have difficulty exiting the UK.  They check that you have your ESTA before you board the plane and it is likely you will understand the rules better than the airline staff.  Might be worth$14 to prevent a headache and aggrevation.

Thanks for the detailed explanation, Ksand. Knew Mr MLG had no choice about the ESTA thing. 

KFdancer, as you are American, you don't have to fill in ESTA either, so what happens when you book flights to the US? I assume you book it, using your US passport and if you are British, you just use that one to re-enter the UK?   

I'm not a VWP national, as a Canadian, and as far as I can tell, I don't apply for ESTA if using that passport, as I would fill in the green I-94W landing card on on the plane, as it is still applicable for Canadians, as we do not have to pay for any entry visa.

If they check for ESTA, does that include Americans? I assume US people do not have to do them and so are not checked? If it was an American airline, I really assume the staff would know Canadians do not need ESTA.  UK airline, less sure.

So my options are:

1. ESTA for both of us, as Brits, and only use UK passport (for me)
2. ESTA for Mr MLG and booking the flight for me, as a Canadian, and bringing my UK passport to re-enter the UK only.

Is that right?

One last question, I guess I still can't get a Right of Abode sticker, as I would prefer, in my Canadian passport, as I am eligible for and have a current UK passport? That was so much easier before, as travel to NA only required my Canadian passport with RoA.       

So my options are:

1. ESTA for both of us, as Brits, and only use UK passport (for me)
2. ESTA for Mr MLG and booking the flight for me, as a Canadian, and bringing my UK passport to re-enter the UK only.       

Chances are, you wouldn't have a problem entering the US with your Canadian passport and no ESTA... but for $14, it seems like a low cost to save potential headache.    It's good for two years, so doing it now means you don't need to worry about it for a while. 

If they check for ESTA, does that include Americans? I assume US people do not have to do them and so are not checked? If it was an American airline, I really assume the staff would know Canadians do not need ESTA.  UK airline, less sure.       

I've booked travel from the UK to US a few times (including booking a flight together with DH as UKC and me as USC) and we made it through the online and airport checks fine.... never even thought twice about it.  We flew Virgin together and it was never an issue.  I don't even remember them checking until we got to the US border control...

Yes, the airline knows I have an American passport when I book the ticket so I have no issues checking in.  They always check my husband has a valid ESTA and they do this with each and every non-US passport even if they don't tell you.  They don't want to have to bring you right back home if you are turned away by US immigration.

Obviously you do not need the ESTA.  My recommendation was only because I dont know how much experience the airline will have with a Canadian travelling to the US and they may not understand the rules (as nearly every country has to have the ESTA in advance).  You will be fine without it.  It may take no longer to check in or it may add a bit of time as you may have to educate the person checking you in for your flight.

If you decide not to do the ESTA, it might be worth it to take along a printout of the US Customs & Border Protection page where it says Canadians don't need an ESTA.    Just to be on the safe side. 

Remember though that it's only Visa Waiver countries that require the ESTA - that's only people from just 37 countries in the whole world.

So, the airlines will presumably have plenty of experience with people travelling who do not have an ESTA at all. Even flying from the UK, there must be tons of passengers from countries like India or China who are not allowed to use ESTA and so will not have one and will have a visa instead.

Admittedly Canada is a bit different as you don't need a visa or ESTA, but I can't imagine that the airlines won't know that, especially as the ESTA was only introduced a couple of years ago anyway and I'm sure lots of Canadians fly to the US from Europe.
 

Remember though that it's only Visa Waiver countries that require the ESTA - that's only people from just 37 countries in the whole world.

So, the airlines will presumably have plenty of experience with people travelling who do not have an ESTA at all. Even flying from the UK, there must be tons of passengers from countries like India or China who are not allowed to use ESTA and so will not have one and will have a visa instead.

Admittedly Canada is a bit different as you don't need a visa or ESTA, but I can't imagine that the airlines won't know that, especially as the ESTA was only introduced a couple of years ago anyway and I'm sure lots of Canadians fly to the US from Europe.
 

I agree. I thought one of the benefits of having two passports (both of which cost money anyway) was to save on visa fees. I personally cannot see the point of paying any money or filling in any form unless I had no other alternative.

Admittedly, any combination can possibly turn up a hassle either with an airline or a border official. I'm just curious what problems you have had (and with whom) traveling on a Canadian passport when your husband has a British passport, that you would rather pay for an ESTA. Couples, including ourselves, must travel with passports from two different countries all the time. When I was a permanent resident of Canada traveling on a U.S. passport, airline officials in the UK knew to ask for my permanent resident card, and now that I have a British visa, airline officials in the USA know to look for that. I would be surprised if a Canadian flummoxed them ;-)

I have a sinking feeling I know the answer to this already, but...

I have a valid UK passport, and an expired US passport that I hadn't intended to ever renew.  If i had to make a trip to the US, can I just use my UK passport and do the ESTA?

I have a sinking feeling I know the answer to this already, but...

I have a valid UK passport, and an expired US passport that I hadn't intended to ever renew.  If i had to make a trip to the US, can I just use my UK passport and do the ESTA?

Unfortunately not.

The US 'does not recognise' dual citizenship, meaning you can hold it but they won't acknowledge that you are anything other than a US citizen.

So, therefore it is illegal for a US citizen to enter the US on a foreign passport.. you must use a US passport to enter.

If I do an ESTA, how would they know I was dual?  Is that one of tbe questions in the application?

If I do an ESTA, how would they know I was dual?  Is that one of tbe questions in the application?

Does your British passport list your birthplace in the US? That's a big giveaway for US border control. Boris Johnson had a fairly famous altercation because of his US birthplace (even though he's been a dual all his life--one of those "accidental Americans") he still needed to travel on a US passport to the US.