When to do our ESTA’s

[Danny Timm]

Basically what the title says, we fly in the 2nd of December this year will we need to do them ASAP or hold on till November?

[Eeyore rocks]

I would do them as soon as possible...sit down and concentrate...and read the questions and answers twice. 🙂

[Rac20]

Do them now. The sooner the better. Ideally ESTAs should be in place before you book just in case they get declined and you have to go down the visa route which can take months.

[THOscar]

Originally Posted by Danny Timm

Basically what the title says, we fly in the 2nd of December this year will we need to do them ASAP or hold on till November?

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You really should've done them months ago in the event of having to go down the visa route but since you didn't, do them NOW. That way there may still be time to get a visa if you needed it.

[claireyfairy8]

Well my advice would be to do them a year in advance as if you got declined and needed a visa, it can take up to 9 months to process.

So I would suggest you get off the dibb and head over to esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

What are you "holding on" for in November?

[mick]

Sorry but the consensus of opinion of around 90% of Dibbers since they were introduced is

1. At least 6 months before you go in case there's a problem and you may need a visa.

2. Before you commit serious £ to the holiday that you won't get back from insurance if your ESTAs are refused.

Not scaremongering but we DIBB regulars have seen refusals for all sorts of reasons - sadly some due to carelessness by the applicant such as selecting "YES" for an obvious "NO" question.

Make sure you use the official site (in yellow banner above), take your time and triple check your answers. No prizes for doing them in 5 minutes and getting denied.

Mick

[Andybear]

For my trip I've recently done, I did my ESTA in April last year as soon as my reservation was confirmed. I'd only paid £50 deposit and didn't want to spend any more money until I'd done it.

[Rowlf]

Yep, as others have said, make sure you complete the website forms very cooly and carefully as errors can cause significant problems. DW and I sit supervising each other when doing them, both ready to correct one another!

[Guest]

Originally Posted by mick

Not scaremongering but we DIBB regulars have seen refusals for all sorts of reasons - sadly some due to carelessness by the applicant such as selecting "YES" for an obvious "NO" question.

Mick

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Agree with posts above. Do now. Re Mick's point above - easier than you may think to have it go through as a yes when you meant no.

Select the answer you want and then click off the answer to a spot elsewhere on the page before you scroll down. People have clicked on then scrolled and it has defaulted to yes.

Read and understand the questions carefully and review your answers before you submit.

[Shani]

We fly on Friday and did ours at the start of the year, so I'd be doing them ASAP!

If there are any issues with ESTA, it can take over 6 months to try to get a visa, so it's best to do them early, especially as they're only $14 each.