ESTA - Instant ESTA’s no longer available

[PPM]

Chris , you just beat me to it...I agree with you.
( did I really say that? )

[thingy003]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

I agree, however some of can't as we go regularly. The most we have between trips is 3 months and sometimes just 6 weeks.

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Do you want to adopt a dysfunctional family to take with you on all your trips Tom?

Back on topic I did ours a couple of weeks ago eeven though we are not going till October and they were appoved instantly.

[Antsp]

Originally Posted by Mr Tom Morrow

I will be doing mine in January and will let you know if nobody posts before then.

The problem we have is by going so often we just cannot apply months and months in advance like most do as it doesn't work that way for us.

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Would you not be better off just getting a visa

[ozzyowl1]

I did my family group last night and got approval after about an hour. There is a new bit in there where they ask about your social media presence and what user names you have!
I also just renew as it runs out and keep it going constantly- you never know when a bargain is going to pop up for an unexpected trip!

[Peko]

Originally Posted by headpin

Just to be picky, they are "authorised" - (authorized as they say) not "approved". It is an authorisation to travel to the US, but does not guarantee that you will be admitted.

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Well, if you really want to be picky, the ESTA (which itself is an “authorization”), is approved, not authorised. The successful status is “Authorization Approved”

Back on topic, did some applications yesterday. Three submitted together under a group payment took somewhere between 15-30 mins to show as approved. A separate individual application showed as approved within 10 minutes.

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by Antsp

Would you not be better off just getting a visa

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Hi Antsp... MrT would only apply for visa if he/MrsT wished to remain longer than 90 days per visit. We hold B2 visa, with immigration approval we winter for 178 days on Bokeelia.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by headpin

Just to be picky, they are "authorised" - (authorized as they say) not "approved". It is an authorisation to travel to the US, but does not guarantee that you will be admitted.

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The ESTA website itself uses the term "approved" and "approval" (and authorised as well). The ESTA authorisation (a noun) is approved (the adjective describing the noun). The authorisation can be either approved or denied.

For example, from the ESTA website:
"Nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries will still be eligible to travel without a visa but will have to obtain an approved travel authorization prior to their travel to the United States"
"a carrier will electronically verify with the United States Customs and Border Protection that you have an approved travel authorization on file"
"Approved ESTA applications are valid for a period of two years"
(etc)

So, ESTA applications are approved.

ESTA approval only lets the person board a plane for travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. It does not indicate any approval to actually enter the United States. Approval to travel under the VWP is a different thing to approval to enter the United States.

As it says on the ESTA website:
"If your electronic travel authorization is approved, this approval establishes that you are eligible to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, but does not guarantee that you are admissible to the United States".

[daytonababe]

Originally Posted by THOscar

unless you're absolutely desperate to eek out every bit of value from your ESTA by getting to use it again after your next trip I'd really encourage you to apply 6 months before. If for any reason your ESTA is denied (answering a question wrong, same name as someone on no fly etc etc) it can take months to get a visa.

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Except some of us don’t have big gaps between trips , I had two trips 6 weeks apart this year
And until I had to change plans there would have been 20 days between two trips .

Longest gap we usually have is 3 months

Doesn’t bother me we’ve had a ESTA since day 1 nothing has changed so I don’t worry

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by daytonababe

Except some of us don’t have big gaps between trips , I had two trips 6 weeks apart this year
And until I had to change plans there would have been 20 days between two trips .

Longest gap we usually have is 3 months

Doesn’t bother me we’ve had a ESTA since day 1 nothing has changed so I don’t worry

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Hi DB, from what I was advised those who keep a rolling ESTA remain in the database which may be a help if 'same name' becomes an issue We kept ESTA rolling pre-visa.

Wonder if more would maintain a rolling ESTA if it was charge free.

[THOscar]

Originally Posted by daytonababe

Except some of us don’t have big gaps between trips , I had two trips 6 weeks apart this year
And until I had to change plans there would have been 20 days between two trips .

Longest gap we usually have is 3 months

Doesn’t bother me we’ve had a ESTA since day 1 nothing has changed so I don’t worry

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Sure, there’s always going to be people who go frequently enough that what I said isn’t feasible but my advice isn’t wrong like you make it out to be.