ESTA - Booking as a surprise

[magickate]

I'll be doing the same next year for my best friends birthday. I'll probably ask her husband to do it or her mom (who's coming too).

I think the worst case scenarios people are pointing out are valid and worth taking into consideration but I wouldn't necessarily say don't do it. Depends how well you know them. Regardless it sounds like a lovely gesture.

[bighal]

I think people are going over the top here. Some common sense is needed. As long as all the info submitted is correct then there is nothing wrong, its not as if someone else is tryingv to travel under their passport.
When was the OP going to tell the other person they were going to the US? a few weeks or the day of travel?

[BobFish123]

Originally Posted by Shooby doo

Bobfish where your argument falls down is the "fraudulent statement or representation..." the OP doesn't have her friend's permission to represent her, now the chances of anything happening are slim but in a "what if" scenario, what happens if the ESTA is declined? TBH I would just break the surprise now & give her time to prepare & take part in the planning IYKWIM
SD

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🙄🙄 a fraudulent statement or representation is saying you are admissible to the country when in fact you have a criminal record that hasn’t been disclosed.

The original post stated “I have all the information required to complete the ESTA” and was a question in an email address

[PPM]

Let me ask a general question on this.

If you were applying for a friends ESTA , do you honestly know if in the past before you knew them, if they have had a physical or mental disorder, various diseases, taken illegal drugs, been arrested or convicted of a serious offence etc etc
Also do you know their passport number, issue and end date etc

I’ve a few good friends I’ve known for many years, and I don’t know the answers to some of those.
How many of us know these details?

Now, what happens if the ESTA is declined ( because of an error)you will have sent your friend down the path of a visa if that friend ever wants to go to the US in the future. Are you prepared to take that risk.

Also are you confident that your friend will get travel insurance, as there may be underlying problems you are not aware of.

This is not directed at the OP, who has a great idea to take her friend on holiday, but to all of us. Do we all really know our friends as well as we do?

We have a close relative who is a priest, and a lovely caring person, did we know that he was done for possession of drugs in his youth? No, would never have thought of it. I know his situation is not to do with an ESTA, but an example of how well you think you know people.

As for the OP, if all the answers are honestly known, then it’s up to the OP whether it’s done or not.
I know that I wouldn’t, but that’s me, others may see it differently .

[soraia]

Originally Posted by PPM

Let me ask a general question on this.

If you were applying for a friends ESTA , do you honestly know if in the past before you knew them, if they have had a physical or mental disorder, various diseases, taken illegal drugs, been arrested or convicted of a serious offence etc etc
Also do you know their passport number, issue and end date etc

I’ve a few good friends I’ve known for many years, and I don’t know the answers to some of those.
How many of us know these details?

Now, what happens if the ESTA is declined ( because of an error)you will have sent your friend down the path of a visa if that friend ever wants to go to the US in the future. Are you prepared to take that risk.

Also are you confident that your friend will get travel insurance, as there may be underlying problems you are not aware of.

This is not directed at the OP, who has a great idea to take her friend on holiday, but to all of us. Do we all really know our friends as well as we do?

We have a close relative who is a priest, and a lovely caring person, did we know that he was done for possession of drugs in his youth? No, would never have thought of it. I know his situation is not to do with an ESTA, but an example of how well you think you know people.

As for the OP, if all the answers are honestly known, then it’s up to the OP whether it’s done or not.
I know that I wouldn’t, but that’s me, others may see it differently .

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This is exactly what I was going to come here and post!

I actually know someone from work a few years ago who did exactly this but was surprising his cousin who couldn't afford to come on a family holiday so the whole family got together to surprise the cousin and pay for her portion to make sure they could all go together.

He went to complete her ESTA and then when "tabbing" down he accidentally left one of the questions marked as "Yes" and the ESTA was declined. He was obviously absolutely mortified and really really beating himself up and upset about it - the surprise obviously didn't go down well when she found out she now had to go down the visa route to go on a trip she didn't even think she was going on and the relationship became very strained.

Not saying that this will happen to you but just a cautionary tale!

[toonarmani]

Clearly there are 2 parts to this.

Firstly, to answer the question on multiple applications from a single email, this is covered in their FAQ and straightforward (extract below):

Can I use the same email address for multiple applications?
Yes, you may use the same email address for multiple applications. However, you will be required to verify the email address for each of the applications.

Secondly, for whether you should apply for the ESTA, there are clearly both sides of the argument posted, but consider if you were to contact US Border Protection and ask "can I apply for an ESTA on behalf of someone without their knowledge? (and they are also a non-family member)", I'm pretty sure you know the answer you'd receive, even if you have the required info to hand (or what you understand to be correct for the whole submission).

At the end of the day, the applicant is responsible for their data/submission (whether completed by someone else or themselves), but should be done with their full knowledge and approval IMO.

[Guest]

Originally Posted by bighal

I think people are going over the top here. Some common sense is needed. As long as all the info submitted is correct then there is nothing wrong, its not as if someone else is tryingv to travel under their passport.
When was the OP going to tell the other person they were going to the US? a few weeks or the day of travel?

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I think the opposite. I think some people are downplaying the seriousness for the sake of a surprise holiday. This is official foreign government documentation, it could have serious consequences if done incorrectly. I don’t believe there are many people that would know everything about a friend either.

[mick]

Originally Posted by PPM

Let me ask a general question on this.

If you were applying for a friends ESTA , do you honestly know if in the past before you knew them, if they have had a physical or mental disorder, various diseases, taken illegal drugs, been arrested or convicted of a serious offence etc etc
Also do you know their passport number, issue and end date etc

I’ve a few good friends I’ve known for many years, and I don’t know the answers to some of those.
How many of us know these details?

Now, what happens if the ESTA is declined ( because of an error)you will have sent your friend down the path of a visa if that friend ever wants to go to the US in the future. Are you prepared to take that risk.

Also are you confident that your friend will get travel insurance, as there may be underlying problems you are not aware of.

This is not directed at the OP, who has a great idea to take her friend on holiday, but to all of us. Do we all really know our friends as well as we do?

We have a close relative who is a priest, and a lovely caring person, did we know that he was done for possession of drugs in his youth? No, would never have thought of it. I know his situation is not to do with an ESTA, but an example of how well you think you know people.

As for the OP, if all the answers are honestly known, then it’s up to the OP whether it’s done or not.
I know that I wouldn’t, but that’s me, others may see it differently .

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PPM

A perfect summary of what I've been thinking since first spotting this thread.

The rights and wrongs of doing it, either legally or ethically, have been well discussed on here.

My concern, at bit like yours, is more pragmatic.

I've read about 90% of ESTA threads since they were introduced in Jan 2009. The number of respondents on here who had their application denied because they selected "YES" to an obvious "NO" answer is beyond my accurate recording.

Imagine if the OP, with all their great intentions, did the same and sent their friend down the visa route for future trips.

Mick

[chmurf]

Originally Posted by BobFish123

The original post stated “I have all the information required to complete the ESTA” and was a question in an email address

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first of all the original post did not state "all the information" but all the details.
So we may assume it relates to name, DOB, place of birth, parents names, and so on

But does the OP state they the knew absolutely everything about their friend's life and past ?

have a read on various DIBB threads, you'll see that when it's time to answer the "questions" on ESTA, even "Significant others" sometimes discover that their partnier had been involved in something that needed clarification regarding answering yes or no (past conviction for example)

You can never know everything about anyone. Even lifelong friends have secrets and skeletons in their closets.

Even if you don't agree with the fact that one should have permission to file ESTA on behalf of another person, there is one thing that needs considering.

Even if you truthfully answer that your friend never got involved in activities, or has a clean record, it's only based on your own knowledge. And you may not know everything about your friends.
There are even things one would not know about one's own family

and if you still doubt that, go back to reading those "esta panic" threads on this very here forum. See how many DIBBers got caught during their planning, when they realised one fellow party member, one they've known for years, could possibly not qualify for ESTA and would need a visa ...

can you answer "NO" to all those eligibility questions on behalf of a friend, just because you think you know them ?
no you can't, and even more so when it comes to a fellow DIBBer you know nothing of, filing ESTA for one of their friends you know even less of.

There could be consequences.

So it's not a case of going over the top, it's a very typical situation where blanket statements could get people into real deep trouble.

OP may know all the details (bio page, passport number, and all) about their friend, but do one ever know everything about someone ?

[Thorpy]

To me this is similar to the "do I need a new ESTA because my name is missing debate".
The cost of doing things by the book is quite low, (in this case it simply detracts from the surprise). The chances of all being well not doing it by the book are very high, but the consequence of not "getting away" with it may be devastating. The decision lies with the OP.

As for applying for ESTA's for other people without seeking their permission first, is this not exactly what most of us will do when we apply on behalf of our kids, including adult ones, and even our partners!

I don't see any issues with using the same email for different names, as that's exactly what I've done when applying for my partners and the kids. (my partner still having her original surname, so the email was totally unconnected)

On the same pragmatic level as others, I'm sure if OP goes down the route as originally planned, then having read this thread she will be extra careful, which is possibly less risky than having her friend do it themselves, especially if said friend has never seen the ESTA site.