US Border Security

ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation):

The US Department of Homeland Security has introduced an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) for people travelling to the USA under the Visa Waiver programme for 90 days or less. Visa Waiver countries include NZ, Australia and the UK. This ESTA replaces the green immigration forms currently filled out on the plane.

All passengers travelling under Visa Waiver must pre-register online to get a travel authorisation prior to arrival in the USA. This system is currently live but not yet mandatory, however it becomes mandatory from 12 January 2009. After this date, airlines will not be able to check in clients who do not already have this authorisation, and they will not be able to travel until they have one.

Once approved, this authorisation is valid for 2 years or until you get a new passport, whichever is first. The authorisation is valid for multiple trips within this time frame.

As the authorisation is valid for 2 years, it is recommended that you apply as early as possible, even before you’ve booked flights or finalised your plans. This will allow time if there are any hiccups and you need to either re-apply or apply for a visa.

How do I apply?

Go to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/

Scroll down and click “Apply” on the left of the page.

From there on it is pretty straightforward – just fill in the required fields. These will look pretty familiar to anyone who has filled out the green forms on the plane in the past.

Anything to watch out for when filling out the application?

It is recommended you click the “Help” button at the top of each page before filling out the page, as this will cover the FAQ’s of that page and help avoid mistakes.
The Address in the US field and the arrival city in the US must be filled out. If you don’t know which hotel you’ll be staying at, or know your flight details, at the time you apply for authorisation, the US Consulate recommends you put “In Transit” and a gateway city in these fields. This does not need to be updated each time you travel (at this stage), so accuracy isn’t really an issue for these fields.

What happens after I submit my application?

Once you hit submit, you will get an application number. It is important to print out or take a note of this number. You will need this number to check the status of your application or to make any changes or updates to your application. If you lose this number, you cannot search for your authorisation using any other means – you will have to make a whole new application. However, you will not be permitted to make a new application for 10 days (the system will reject the request if you try to re-apply inside 10 days).

There are three possible responses you will get upon submitting your application:

Authorisation Approved
Travel is instantly approved. You will get an authorisation number and expiry date. Make sure you take a note of this authorisation number and expiry date as you will need it to make any changes or updates. Although it isn’t required, it could be a good idea to keep a printout of the authorisation in your document wallet.
Authorisation Pending
Travel is not instantly approved. You will need to check for updates over the next 72 hours. This is where it is extra important to write down your application number, as you won’t be able to check for updates without it (and will have to reapply after 10 days). To check the status of pending authorisations, go back to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/. You’ll need to fill in the box on the right with your application number, date of birth and passport number then click “Update or Check Status”.
Travel Not Authorised
The system has determined that you are not eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver programme. Please note you will only be told that travel is not authorised, you will not be told why not.
Your next step if travel is not authorised is to apply for a visa at the local US Consulate.

Anything else?

People transiting through the USA under Visa Waiver must also pre-apply for a travel authorisation.
People with dual citizenship must apply for a travel authorisation for whichever passport they will be using to enter and/or exit the USA, as the authorisation is linked to the passport number. This may mean that dual passport holders need to apply twice – once with each passport number.
It’s really important to fill these forms out carefully and accurately, as it is a legal document kept on record by the DHS. If you accidentally tick the wrong box (ie that you have been convicted of an offence) then submit, that goes into the permanent records of the Department of Homeland Security, and you will not only be declined on this application but also on any subsequent applications and will have to apply for an actual visa.


ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation): The US Department of Homeland Security has introduced an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) for people travelling to the USA under the Visa Waiver programme for 90 days or less. Visa Waiver countries include NZ, Australia and the UK. This ESTA replaces the green immigration forms currently filled out on the plane. All passengers travelling under Visa Waiver must pre-register online to get a travel authorisation prior to arrival in the USA. This system is currently live but not yet mandatory, however it becomes mandatory from 12 January 2009. After this date, airlines will not be able to check in clients who do not already have this authorisation, and they will not be able to travel until they have one. Once approved, this authorisation is valid for 2 years or until you get a new passport, whichever is first. The authorisation is valid for multiple trips within this time frame. As the authorisation is valid for 2 years, it is recommended that you apply as early as possible, even before you’ve booked flights or finalised your plans. This will allow time if there are any hiccups and you need to either re-apply or apply for a visa. How do I apply? Go to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/ Scroll down and click “Apply” on the left of the page. From there on it is pretty straightforward – just fill in the required fields. These will look pretty familiar to anyone who has filled out the green forms on the plane in the past. Anything to watch out for when filling out the application? It is recommended you click the “Help” button at the top of each page before filling out the page, as this will cover the FAQ’s of that page and help avoid mistakes. The Address in the US field and the arrival city in the US must be filled out. If you don’t know which hotel you’ll be staying at, or know your flight details, at the time you apply for authorisation, the US Consulate recommends you put “In Transit” and a gateway city in these fields. This does not need to be updated each time you travel (at this stage), so accuracy isn’t really an issue for these fields. What happens after I submit my application? Once you hit submit, you will get an application number. It is important to print out or take a note of this number. You will need this number to check the status of your application or to make any changes or updates to your application. If you lose this number, you cannot search for your authorisation using any other means – you will have to make a whole new application. However, you will not be permitted to make a new application for 10 days (the system will reject the request if you try to re-apply inside 10 days). There are three possible responses you will get upon submitting your application: Authorisation Approved Travel is instantly approved. You will get an authorisation number and expiry date. Make sure you take a note of this authorisation number and expiry date as you will need it to make any changes or updates. Although it isn’t required, it could be a good idea to keep a printout of the authorisation in your document wallet. Authorisation Pending Travel is not instantly approved. You will need to check for updates over the next 72 hours. This is where it is extra important to write down your application number, as you won’t be able to check for updates without it (and will have to reapply after 10 days). To check the status of pending authorisations, go back to https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/. You’ll need to fill in the box on the right with your application number, date of birth and passport number then click “Update or Check Status”. Travel Not Authorised The system has determined that you are not eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver programme. Please note you will only be told that travel is not authorised, you will not be told why not. Your next step if travel is not authorised is to apply for a visa at the local US Consulate.
	Anything else? People transiting through the USA under Visa Waiver must also pre-apply for a travel authorisation. People with dual citizenship must apply for a travel authorisation for whichever passport they will be using to enter and/or exit the USA, as the authorisation is linked to the passport number. This may mean that dual passport holders need to apply twice – once with each passport number. It’s really important to fill these forms out carefully and accurately, as it is a legal document kept on record by the DHS. If you accidentally tick the wrong box (ie that you have been convicted of an offence) then submit, that goes into the permanent records of the Department of Homeland Security, and you will not only be declined on this application but also on any subsequent applications and will have to apply for an actual visa.