You’ve applied for an ESTA for your first trip to the USA and would like to know if this document is still valid? Are you the holder of a new passport (biometric passport, if it’s a French passport) and want to know if it’s still possible to use your ESTA? We’ll explain how long an ESTA is valid for, what causes an ESTA to be invalid, how to check its validity and how to renew it.
Esta USA Validity
ESTA validity
Summary :
The ESTA is an electronic travel authorization linked to the traveler’s passport. The relationship between the ESTA and the passport is therefore crucial to the validity of the authorization.
Before filling out the ESTA form, check the validity of your passport for two reasons:
- the passport, whether electronic or biometric, must cover the entire duration of the stay. We remind you that under the Visa Waiver Program, and therefore the ESTA, your stay in the USA must not exceed 90 days.
- a passport with an expiry date less than two years away reduces the validity of the ESTA, which is officially valid for two years. The ESTA expiry date will then be the same as that of your passport.
Reasons for ESTA authorization to lapse
An ESTA can become invalid for a number of reasons. The first is simply that it expires. We remind you that an ESTA is valid for a maximum of two years.
The other common reason for an ESTA to become invalid is a change of passport or a change in your personal circumstances. As mentioned earlier, the ESTA is electronically linked to the passport via the latter’s microchip. A new passport therefore requires a new ESTA authorization. A change in personal circumstances is also decisive: if the change is very significant, it will be reflected in a new passport (name change, for example). But that’s not the only change to take into account. When you apply for ESTA authorization, you have to answer a questionnaire about your state of health, your criminal record, your past travels, etc. If you now have to answer “yes” to any of these questions, your passport will have to be renewed. If you now have to answer “yes” to any of these questions, your ESTA is void. What’s more, you can’t even apply for a new ESTA in this case, as you’ve probably become ineligible for ESTA. To travel to the USA, you’ll need to apply for a visa from the consular services of the American embassy.
A final possible reason is a change in procurement rules. However, this is rare. The most recent change took place under the Trump administration: the US government decreed that certain countries represented a risk to US homeland security. This change in policy resulted in the refusal of ESTA applications made by nationals of Visa Waiver Program signatory countries with dual Syrian, Iraqi, Iranian and Sudanese nationality. Travelers who have visited Iraq, Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen since March 1, 2011 may also encounter difficulties in obtaining an ESTA.
How to check the validity of an ESTA authorization
To check the status of your ESTA, simply go to the official U.S. government website with your passport and application number. This number was given to you when you validated the online form.
If you don’t have an ESTA number, use your passport to access your ESTA authorization. Enter your passport number, date of issue and expiry, as well as your nationality and date of birth.
If your ESTA expires during your stay in the USA, you are not obliged to renew it. The ESTA must be valid when you enter the United States, not when you leave. However, it is essential that your trip to the USA be for transit, tourism or business purposes only. For any other purpose, you will need to apply for a visa at the U.S. embassy.
ESTA renewal
There is no specific procedure for renewing your travel authorization. You simply need to proceed in the same way as for your first application. All you have to do is go to the official U.S. government website, fill in the ESTA form, pay the application fee again and wait for the U.S. authorities to respond. Electronic systems deliver a response within 72 hours, whether positive or negative.
