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Old 3 May 21, 08:45 PM  
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#11
mick
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Originally Posted by fiffio View Post
Those who have booked Esta’s in the last wee while for going in say 3-4 months what was the benefit of doing it this early?
Having read maybe 90% of ESTA threads since they were made compulsory in Jan 2009 I'd say the consensus of the majority of DIBB opinions is to do them 6 months out and/or before you commit any serious non-refundable money to a holiday.

The chances of a rejection are extremely small but over the years there have been enough reported on the DIBB. About 5 years ago there was a major software failure at SFB which recorded hundreds of passengers as overstayers and their subsequent ESTA applications were refused. More common reason for refusal though is carelessness - answering an obvious NO question as YES. The "6 months" suggestion is just to allow time to get a visa should the very slight risk of refusal occur.

The other reason to do them before financial commitment is that if you are refused your insurance won't reimburse you if you can't travel because of no ESTA.

I think most Dibbers see the $14 investment as something that's best sorted as another box ticked compared with the overall cost of a holiday.

Mick
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Old 3 May 21, 09:29 PM  
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Chrissie H
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We did ours a couple of weeks ago and they only took 10 minutes.
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Old 3 May 21, 10:52 PM  
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snowbelle
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Originally Posted by mick View Post
Having read maybe 90% of ESTA threads since they were made compulsory in Jan 2009 I'd say the consensus of the majority of DIBB opinions is to do them 6 months out and/or before you commit any serious non-refundable money to a holiday.

The chances of a rejection are extremely small but over the years there have been enough reported on the DIBB. About 5 years ago there was a major software failure at SFB which recorded hundreds of passengers as overstayers and their subsequent ESTA applications were refused. More common reason for refusal though is carelessness - answering an obvious NO question as YES. The "6 months" suggestion is just to allow time to get a visa should the very slight risk of refusal occur.

The other reason to do them before financial commitment is that if you are refused your insurance won't reimburse you if you can't travel because of no ESTA.

I think most Dibbers see the $14 investment as something that's best sorted as another box ticked compared with the overall cost of a holiday.

Mick
Agreeing wholeheartedly with Mick, ESTA was £10.14 each today and every year we see posts on here where the odd person has or knows someone that has had an ESTA glitch that has had to have a heartstopping trip to the US embassy

This year could see a boom in people wanting to travel at the last minute and no one can predict how it will pan out.
The same with getting passports at the last minute.
When and if we get to go on our fully cancellable but expensive holiday.
Although it can happen to a tiny percentage of people,it can happen .
£10.14 is a tiny drop in the ocean and the risk to us of losing a £5k holiday not something I want to think about.
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Old 4 May 21, 09:14 AM  
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mick
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Originally Posted by snowbelle View Post
Agreeing wholeheartedly with Mick, ESTA was £10.14 each today and every year we see posts on here where the odd person has or knows someone that has had an ESTA glitch that has had to have a heartstopping trip to the US embassy

This year could see a boom in people wanting to travel at the last minute and no one can predict how it will pan out.
The same with getting passports at the last minute.
When and if we get to go on our fully cancellable but expensive holiday.
Although it can happen to a tiny percentage of people,it can happen .
£10.14 is a tiny drop in the ocean and the risk to us of losing a £5k holiday not something I want to think about.
Sadly I've read on here over the past 12+ years - "I've had an ESTA before and I've never been refused so I'll do it on the way to the airport. If I do it today for next week's holiday I'll get a holiday in May 2023 out of it as well"

The other lesson I've learnt over the years. DO NOT CHECK the validity of an ESTA by starting a new application. At a certain point in the process your valid ESTA will be cancelled. As happened to a Dibber who tried that at the airport and had to let her family go ahead while she missed her flight and had to follow on 3 days later after having to get a new ESTA.

Finally best not do API until the last possible time (you can do it with BA as soon as you've booked). May be deemed an "attempt to travel" which is a reason to have ESTA cancelled.

Mick
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Old 4 May 21, 09:26 AM  
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Kraken
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I don't think there is anything unusual with ESTA approval in 10-20mins. Over the years some of mine have come back as approved straight away if I did a refresh on the application confirmation page. (In more recent years, having Global Entry may have helped, who knows).

I certainly agree that anyone should get their ESTA sorted in good time so if you do get refused, then you have time to go down the visa route. (Or get the refused application cancelled if you made a schoolboy error & apply again).

The risk of refusal is low, but it does happen & travel insurance won't cover you for failing to have the right documentation. As has been said already £11pp or thereabouts is a drop in the ocean compared to the total holiday costs.

If you are that price sensitive that £11pp is the "go / no-go" decider for a Florida holiday, then you may wish to [or probably should] reconsider your plans. It's already in the news that if the USA gets on the Covid "Green List" each passenger will require a negative Covid test before their return flight & a PCR covid test two days after their return to the UK. I would hazard a guess you're going to be looking in the region of £200pp for both tests - which is a game-changing amount.
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Old 4 May 21, 09:52 AM  
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mick
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Originally Posted by Kraken View Post
I don't think there is anything unusual with ESTA approval in 10-20mins. Over the years some of mine have come back as approved straight away if I did a refresh on the application confirmation page. (In more recent years, having Global Entry may have helped, who knows).

I certainly agree that anyone should get their ESTA sorted in good time so if you do get refused, then you have time to go down the visa route. (Or get the refused application cancelled if you made a schoolboy error & apply again).

The risk of refusal is low, but it does happen & travel insurance won't cover you for failing to have the right documentation. As has been said already £11pp or thereabouts is a drop in the ocean compared to the total holiday costs.

If you are that price sensitive that £11pp is the "go / no-go" decider for a Florida holiday, then you may wish to [or probably should] reconsider your plans. It's already in the news that if the USA gets on the Covid "Green List" each passenger will require a negative Covid test before their return flight & a PCR covid test two days after their return to the UK. I would hazard a guess you're going to be looking in the region of £200pp for both tests - which is a game-changing amount.
We've had "live" ESTAs since they were introduced - you never know when a Premium Bond win forces us to go next week (well historically anyway ). So maybe 6 or 7 each at least and up until last June every one has been approved instantly. Even last June we had the email telling us our status had changed within 20 minutes.

Mick
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Old 5 May 21, 07:14 AM  
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I did ours yesterday, was a group booking of 4. Took 1 hour to all be approved. At least we’re all set if we get the green light.
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Old 5 May 21, 08:15 AM  
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YorkshireT
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Many people away from Dibb apply for Estas very close to going, one guy at work was 2 days before, I said heck you are cutting it fine, he laughed and said I worried too much!
I agree, it’s best to do it in plenty of time. A few years ago my wife somehow answered a no question ‘yes’ about infectious diseases and we had a heart stopping 24 hours before it became apparent that’s the only question you can get wrong and go again. I do them all now...
Check your passports and get new ones- it could be come June the passport office is overwhelmed. Also driving licenses, a lot of those are running out with double the potential renewals due to the Covid extensions. I once fell foul of that as well in Atlanta, luckily still had my paper license then and so they agreed to rent but it was touch and go.
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Old 5 May 21, 09:28 AM  
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JMisery
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Thank you for the heads up and all the opinions on this thread about the potential influx to the website once holidays are announced!
I usually apply for mine around two months before I'm due to fly but I applied yesterday (due to fly at the end of September 2021) and got my approval within 30 minutes. Best to be safe and get it out of the way for sure, especially as it's only $14 which is nothing when comparing to the price of these holidays
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Old 5 May 21, 11:22 AM  
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Just had ours done in 20 mins definitely a relief
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