How long are ESTAs currently taking to approve?

[GALE88]

Last did ESTAs for me and the family in 2017 and they were approved straight away, I just refreshed the page and the status changed.

Did them this evening for this summer's trip and the status is still pending.
I checked and double checked every single answer so I'm confident everything is filled in correctly (and there's no reason they should be denied!) but I am starting to worry a bit...

[sha9]

They’re no longer approving instantly although mine was approved within an hour if I remember right. It wasn’t long anyway. It can take a couple of days though.

[Disneynut23]

I did mine last Thursday and they were approved by Saturday ( to be fair I didn’t check on Friday so may have been earlier)

[gjdjud]

Mine took approx 4 hours last week.

[mick]

Over the past couple of months this wording has appeared in a red banner at the top of the ESTA home page.

REMINDER: Apply for ESTA no later than 72 hours before departing for the United States. Real-time approvals will no longer be available and arriving at the airport without a previously approved ESTA will likely result in being denied boarding.


In practical terms they are saying don't expect to get them within 72 hours of travel. Some Dibbers used to do them on their way to the airport. I think that they are also saying that instant approvals are now a rarity and you might expect to have a pending response. But they do say that you should have a reply within 72 hours.


Dibber's experiences recently seem to suggest that instant approval is very rare these days.


Mick

[NewtoOrlando]

Mine took about 40 mins in January.

[florida addict]

Mine took a day . Did them yesterday got approval this morning

[GALE88]

Thanks all, it's reassuring that others have had similar experiences.

I just checked and it's now been authorized Guess I just needed to be a little more patient!

[Beccas Dad]

Done esta for daughter last week, it was approved within the hour.

[Miss_Shell]

Mine took an hour or so x