ESTA, US clarifies given name requirement

[Burgmeister]

Originally Posted by simker

Has anyone actually traveled on a esta that was collected without a middle name entered? Surely someone must have had an experience of this.

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Yes, lots of people.

[mick]

Originally Posted by ChrisS

Hi chmurf, you got me thinking, as the US are gradually making airport kiosks defunct with the introduction of biometrics, perhaps the full given names per pp ruling is biometric related.

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Bonny lass

Automated kiosks disappeared from MCO sometime before last November - also the link to them has been removed from the MCO web site. They may still be around at other Florida airports though.

We left MCO in Nov on BA and last April on TC using facial recognition at the gate.

Mick

[Ben1993]

Originally Posted by simker

Has anyone actually traveled on a esta that was collected without a middle name entered? Surely someone must have had an experience of this.

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Me last week, dozens of others on this forum and undoubtedly thousands more. Bottom line, if you are doing a new Esta you may aswell make sure you do it, if you have already have one without, not worth worrying about.

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by mick

Bonny lass

Automated kiosks disappeared from MCO sometime before last November - also the link to them has been removed from the MCO web site. They may still be around at other Florida airports though.

We left MCO in Nov on BA and last April on TC using facial recognition at the gate.

Mick

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Yes Gadgey Mick, same at Atl when we arrived last Nov, it was odd looking out on a large bank of lit up kiosks with nobody home The IO was a very nice chap and explained the biometric system and why fingerprints were unnecessary. We too exited Atl with a biometric cam at the gate. Apparently some airports are still using the kiosks as Dibbers reported when flying in-direct.

[mick]

Originally Posted by Ben1993

Me last week, dozens of others on this forum and undoubtedly thousands more. Bottom line, if you are doing a new Esta you may aswell make sure you do it, if you have already have one without, not worth worrying about.

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I think "middle names on ESTAs" went viral on here around January.

Your experience matches scores of other Dibber's experiences over the past 6 months. If someone had been refused travel because their passport said John David Smith and their ESTA only said John Smith I think that the DIBB would have been in melt down by now.

If you ask the US C&BP whether you should do another one of course they'll say yes. Another $14 towards the cost of Donald's Mexican wall.

Mick

[ChrisS]

Originally Posted by mick

I think "middle names on ESTAs" went viral on here around January.

Your experience matches scores of other Dibber's experiences over the past 6 months. If someone had been refused travel because their passport said John David Smith and their ESTA only said John Smith I think that the DIBB would have been in melt down by now.

If you ask the US C&BP whether you should do another one of course they'll say yes. Another $14 towards the cost of Donald's Mexican wall.

Mick

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Reminds me Gadgey Mick, a Fl friend was beyond indignant when she received a bot phone call, recording made by Trump. He was begging for donations so they could beat down the Dems and add donations to the pot for wall building, apparently whilst it was ones choice, if they donated the minimum was $35. I laughed my back off which then caused her to laugh even tho she can't abide Trump, she thinks I find humour in the most odd scenarios of life

[tspill]

Originally Posted by metalguru

If you completed an ESTA before the middle name change I would imagine that it will be valid until it expires. If you completed it after the middle name change and didn't add your middle name if you have one on your passport, then technically it's not been completed correctly. What the implications are with regard to this going forward, who knows?

The authorities will know when an individual completed their ESTA , so will know if it's been completed correctly to the guidelines at the time.

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So when exactly was that?
You said you were clear (in red letters) so what was the date this happened?

[tspill]

Originally Posted by Tsoski

I don't work for the Department of Homeland Security but if when you log in to look at your ESTA and it says:

Authorization Approved and the expires date is later than your return date...



yes my esta is valid

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I have been travelling multiple times per year for over three decades so I know the process.

People are saying it is clear. It isn't as no one can actually say when this change happened.

My ESTA (and everyone elses) are authorised even without middle name. Even now when they have clarified the page.

[BucksBugsy]

What I find interesting about this thread is that - to the best of my knowledge - no-one on the dibb has had issues going through immigration because their passport has a middle name on it but their ESTA doesn't. I suspect that if it had have happened they would have made them selves known quite vocally in order to highlight the issue to others.

Even the clarification I got from CBP doesn't clarify the matter.

So i for one don't believe at the moment this is a real issue. If - on the other hand CBP refuse me entry on the 2nd August 2019 because there is a mismatch I will be the first to let you know.

[Nimbus]

Originally Posted by BerkshireBugsy

UPDATE: So the response from CBP came back very quickly (see below) and I'm not sure it answers the question for valid ESTAs wihout middle names!

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The response from CBP is pretty clear. It's the same response DIBBers have had from them in the past and has been posted a few times in other threads.

To summarise:

"The name on the ESTA application must be entered exactly as it appears on the passport in the machine readable zone.
If you determine that your application contains incorrect information then you will have to submit a new application".

Note that it doesn't mention a date when the ESTA application was made - so it applies to all current ESTAs.

What it doesn't explain nor discuss is what could happen if you travel to the USA with an ESTA that does not match the machine readable zone in your passport. As has been reported in this thread, there does not appear to be any negative impact if the Given Name field in the ESTA does not exactly match the person's passport, based on current evidence.