When should ESTA be done?

[berlin]

I wouldn’t want to leave it last minute but seriously unless you or one of your party’s have a criminal record, your not going to get a reject so doing it over a year before you go seems over the top

[Gngr29]

Currently have Esta’s that run out December 2019.

But looking to book for July 2020 to stay at Disney on Thursday .

Redid our ESTA’s last night and took them hours to approve, no instant approval this time.

But for $14 each have peace of mind that they are in place for our holiday next year.

[Shani]

We go roughly once every 2 years, which means we need to do a new one for each trip.

I tend to do them around 9-12 months out. Plenty of time to sort any problems should they arise before the trip. At $14 per person, it's a drop in the ocean compared to the rest of the cost of the holiday!

[THOR1]

Originally Posted by berlin

I wouldn’t want to leave it last minute but seriously unless you or one of your party’s have a criminal record, your not going to get a reject so doing it over a year before you go seems over the top

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Not great advice IMO

Folk tie themselves in knots doing these things and continuously get them wrong.

It is only one of the particular wrong answers that can be reset after the declinature of the ESTA

Everything else requires a Visa application

There are also numerous stories of things such as sharing the name of someone on a watch list and your exit from your last visit not being properly recorded which can lead to ESTA's being denied.

It is completely beyond me why anyone would spend a penny before knowing they had a least received ESTA approval.

You wouldn't buy a car before taking driving lessons and even in that case the remedy would be in your own hands by passing the relevant tests.

For $14 per person why even take the chance.

After nearly 20 visits we still don't book a thing without a valid ESTA is place.

[mghayward]

I done ours before I paid anything off the holiday, they last 2 years and at $14 it’s daft not too.

[TinselAngel]

I think a combination of ideally at least 6 months before you go and definitely before you have paid anything that cannot be cancelled. Even if you’ve had ESTAs for years there are a number of scenarios that could result in a refusal so it’s too risky to leave it late.