A guide to ESTA visa applications – How to apply and what it implies

No matter where you are from, you are going to need an ESTA visa if you want to be granted access into the United States. This visa has the role of filtering out potential threats for the country and only allowing inside those that cannot pose any sort of danger to its residents. With that in mind, getting your ESTA visa is quite easy, but it requires you to submit a formal application. If you plan to come to USA, you can apply for an ESTA here. This article will focus on a multitude of topics such as the details of the application, what to expect and how it all works.

The duration of the visa and the application process

Applying for such a visa will only take you about 10 minutes, as you shouldn’t need more time to fill out the form. It’s very straightforward and you will be able to send it out immediately. Once you send it out, you have to wait until you get a response, so you may know if you are eligible to enter the United States. The waiting will not take more than a couple of days, but past applications show that it will generally take about 5 minutes tops before you get your answer. It’s all automated so there’s no reason why it should take more. However, preparing for the worst is how you avoid nasty situations like not getting your response in time for your plane’s departure.

The visa will be legitimate for two years after it has been assigned, so you have plenty of time to visit the United States as many times as you want. The maximum number of days you can visit for at a time is 90 days, but after you depart, you can always return in that 2 year period and stay another 90 days. Once your visa expires, you will need to have it renewed, which is a different process.

What’s it all about?

The ESTA visa aims to keep the United States safe from any potential threats that might be trying to enter the country. There are 50 million tourists that visit the US yearly, so you can imagine that there are a lot of people to manage and supervise. The information you submit in your application will be cross-examined with the United States criminal database, in order to see if you are of any danger. If you’re thinking about not mentioning past incidents regarding your criminal record, know that you are risking a lot more than gaining. It’s always best to be upfront.

The application is solely done online, as it stands for Electronic System for Traveling Authorization. If you have a friend that can’t apply for themselves for one reason or another, you can submit an application in their name. Just remember that it has to be a physical person and not a group, since the whole point of the visa is to filter individuals.