Free, independent guide
ESTA for the United States: the official form, screen by screen, with someone beside you
The official site never says why it refused you, never refunds, and four fields can never be corrected. Open it in one tab and this guide in another, then move through it screen by screen: the capture, what to enter with your passport, and what travellers before you ran into.
- Step by step17 steps, in the order you will see them.
- Real experiences on every step53 travellers in their own words, dated and linked to their source.
- Free, no accountNothing leaves your browser. We never file anything for you.
- Checked at the sourceRules and captures checked on the official site on 12 Oct 2026.
How it works
- 1Open the official site in one tab
- 2Keep this guide beside it, step by step
- 3Avoid the trap, then move on
Official fee$40.62about £31 / €36 · from 16 Oct 2026 ($40.27 before) · $10.62 kept if refused
Where, and only thereesta.cbp.dhs.govor the CBP's own "ESTA Mobile" app, optional
Decision≤ 72 hOften on the payment screen; "usually within 72 hours" when the file goes to review (CBP help, Dec 2025)
Valid for2 yearsor until the passport expires · 90 days per stay
Before you open the official site
- Your passport open at the photo page: the name is copied from the two lines with chevrons at the bottom, not from any other line
- Your phone: the site asks for a photo of the passport page and a selfie, plain light background, no glasses
- An e-mail address you can read right now: a 4-digit code arrives during the form. For the decision, rely on "Check ESTA Status" on the official site, not on an e-mail (CBP)
- The address of your first night (otherwise "UNKNOWN" is accepted), your employer's details, your parents' names, an emergency contact
- A bank card or PayPal. One application per traveller, infants included; a group pays once, but one file still pending holds back the whole group
Open the official site in a new tabthen come back here: the guide follows each step
What travellers say about the whole process
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
I submitted an ESTA application and later realized that I had used a third-party website (http://usimmigrationdocument.org) rather than the official ESTA website. [...] The company charged significantly more than the official ESTA fee.
Nikita B · Tripadvisor New York City forum · 2026-06 · First-time applicant; approved; asked the reseller for a refund
I've been duped by usimmigrationdocument.org when applying for 2 ESTAs They charged me £133 x 2 (rather than the $40 going direct) I've cancelled our credit card and I am disputing the charge (the ESTAs appear to be being processed!)
Mijapo · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2026-08 · Two ESTAs through a look-alike site; card cancelled
I am usually VERY clued up about scams, but this one got me easily as I was on my phone (I usually do important things on my laptop so I can see everything much more clearly)
Seaswimwobble_9 · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2024-10 · £98 to a look-alike site, refunded once she asked
The US recently issued proposals for consultation that included decommissioning the website and having the app as the only means of applying for an ESTA so you might as well get used to using the app
TomC97 · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2025-12 · Liverpool regular
each time it asks for your home address, mobile no, emergency contact, parents, payment details etc you have to scroll down a list of 200 countries to find yours.
Turboblue · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2026-09 · Passport scan pre-filled identity but not the country lists
I applied recently for Mrs JDD's ESTA and it took less than 24 hours and this for a flight in 2025. I prefer losing time on ESTA over booking a flight and finding I or Mrs JDD cannot travel.
John Doe Doe · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2024-08 · Dunstable, UK; ESTA approved months before the flight
Your situation :· Tick what applies to you: extra tips appear under the screens where it matters. Nothing is sent.
0
The home page: the right address, and the app window to close
Online screenesta.cbp.dhs.gov · official site, French-language interface, captured 12 Oct 2026
What to do at this step
The "ESTA Mobile" window opens by itself: close it to stay on the website. The app is optional and asks for the same answers (it reads the passport chip and takes a live selfie instead). Close the window with "Close" ("Fermer" on this French capture) or the cross; this guide follows the website. The December 2025 proposal to make the app the only way to apply had no final rule on 12 Oct 2026.
Above this capture, check the address bar: esta.cbp.dhs.gov, nothing else. Look-alike sites rank high in search results, copy the official look and file the same application for several times the price. One that charges more than the fee shown on this page, or asks for a social-security or tax number, is not the official site.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
I just re-did ours last weekend, the amount of sites offering them was mind boggling.. I made sure I checked and double checked.. All done (and approved)
Mike-C · Tripadvisor Orlando forum · 2024-08 · Morecambe, UK; renewed ESTAs amid look-alike sites, approved
so many sites set up and have their sites high on Google search for ESTA. One I saw was esta-cbp-gov.com With a small disclaimer at the top of the page saying not affiliated with US Government
aussiebill42 · Tripadvisor Orlando forum · 2024-08 · Melbourne regular; a look-alike site seen high on Google
The app experience is far better than the desktop.
Grumpy Londoner · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2026-05 · App Store review comparing the app with the website
1
"Create new application": individual, or a group
Online screenThe menu that opens once the window is closed · official site, French-language interface, captured 12 Oct 2026
What to do at this step
"Individual application" ("Demande individuelle" here): one traveller, one payment, one decision. Choose it when you travel alone, or when one of you may go to manual review (a second nationality, a past visa refusal, a trip to Cuba or to a country of question 9). In a group, one file under review holds back the payment, and the result shown, for everyone.
"Group of applications" ("Groupe de demandes"): one full form per person, infants included, one payment. The site first asks for a group contact aged 18 or over and an e-mail, then shows the same notices. Keep the Group ID it gives you: with the contact details, it is what brings the whole group back later.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
No option for a group application on the app. [...] Applying for a family of 4 was excruciating compared to previous desktop experience
adelle-rose · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2026-06 · Family of 4; the app offers no group application
if you apply for an ESTA for a 'group' as in more than 1 passport, it can cause all applications in the same session to be held up if there's any query with just one of them.
SussexWorldtraveller · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2024-07 · Lewes regular, after a group held up by one file
All ESTA applications are individual, the “group” option only exists to allow you to make a single payment for multiple applicants, and to check the status of all applications together.
SW17 · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-06 · London regular, to a parent unsure about filing as a group
2
The three notices: read, tick "Yes", continue
Online screenSecurity notification, this disclaimer, then the fee notice folded below it · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
Read this one: an approved ESTA does not guarantee entry, and it rules out work, study and reporting. The officer at the airport still decides whether you get in. Under an ESTA you may not take a job, study, or report for a foreign news outlet (that needs a media visa), and you cannot extend your stay or change status once there.
Tick "Yes", then unfold "The Travel Promotion Act of 2009" below and acknowledge it too: "Next" stays grey until then. That folded section is the fee notice: no refund, and later updates to your application cost nothing. "No, I need additional clarification" ends the application here.
3
Upload your passport, then "Review & confirm" what was read
Online screenThe photo of the passport page fills the form; this window shows what the reading extracted · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
The photo of the passport page fills the form: the two lines at the bottom must be sharp. Whole page, no glare, no finger over the bottom lines. Then read each field of this window against the passport: the reading confuses 0 and O, 1 and I, and nobody checks it for you. If the upload keeps failing, try another browser before anything else.
Four fields can never be corrected, not even before you pay: passport number, issuing country, nationality, date of birth. Everything else can still be fixed on the review screen (13). A wrong character in one of these four means a new application and a new fee, so this window is where you check them against the passport, not from memory.
An emergency or temporary passport without a chip gets no ESTA at all: that is a visa. Issuing country = the country of your citizenship, even when a consulate abroad issued the passport. UK passports: only British citizens (GBR) are in the programme; a BN(O) or other British-nationality passport gets "Passport ineligible for Visa Waiver Program travel".
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
I had problems applying using the Firefox browser (it wouldn't let me proceed past the passport /selfie upload stage) but no issues when using Chrome.
Neil49 · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2025-07 · Website; stuck at the passport and selfie upload in Firefox
scanning the front of the passport it took multiple attempts. [...] Photo capture also has a countdown so be ready.. as there's no retakes. All approved however within a matter of hours.
tanzzzzxo · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2025-03 · ESTA Mobile on a phone rather than a laptop
They charged $30. I did it through them because it wasn't letting me upload my passport on the official website for some reason.
Gaelle N · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-12 · Official upload kept failing; paid Sherpa to file instead
4
Upload your selfie
BiometricsRequired on the website too · CBP's own screenshot of the selfie window and its rules
What to do at this step
Not the passport photo, not a screenshot: a new photo that follows these rules. Plain light background, facing the camera, no glasses or hat, neutral expression. A selfie identical to the passport photo gets the application cancelled; one that simply matches badly is not refused, it goes to manual review. Filing for someone else: it is their face, not yours.
"From gallery" is accepted: take the photo before you start, in daylight, against a plain wall. A photo taken calmly in advance beats a selfie at arm's length in the middle of the form. Head and shoulders only, no filter.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
Just did it on the website and you have to upload a selfie too, dont remember doing that last time, just upload the passport page [...] All done and just wait for the authorisation now.
lorrabell · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2025-12 · Kent; filed on the website for herself and her husband
the face recognition [...] took my image more than 10 times, then I had to try another four times, then another 10 times. [...] It took nearly TWO hours to keep scanning my passport cover to recognise my passport
Student/teedy · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2024-10 · UK user; app also rejected UK mobile numbers
5
Applicant and passport information
Online screenPre-filled from the passport reading; names and the identification number are where people slip · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
Names as the two bottom lines of the passport print them: no accent, no apostrophe, and every given name. The site takes English letters only: É becomes E, an apostrophe disappears (O'BRIEN → OBRIEN) and a hyphen becomes a space, as on those lines. First (Given) Name carries every given name in the passport's order; only the tooltip says so. A married name or the name you use day to day does not go here but in "other names", on screen 7.
"National Identification Number": your national identity card number if your country issues one, otherwise UNKNOWN. Never a social-security, tax or driving-licence number. No identity card in your country (the UK, for one): type UNKNOWN.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
I applied for a new Esta for my daughter and stupidly put on the wrong year of birth via drop down box. This application was approved but is useless [...] I can't reapply because it says she already has one approved.
robgray · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-05 · Southampton; a parent filing for a daughter, wrong birth year
the only possible issue I can see is not including my middle name in the "first name" box on the form which does appear on my passport. [...] only the tooltip explains that middle name is required.
Christina F · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-10 · "Travel not authorized"; wonders if the missing middle name caused it
I re did mine too, for the sake of $21, don't want to be refused entry. I believe for a while it was quite lapse but have heard they have toughened up now
LondonHolidayQueen · Tripadvisor Orlando forum · 2022-08 · UK; redid the ESTA to add middle names
6
Other citizenship, then your e-mail address
Online screenBottom of the same page: the two nationality questions, then the e-mail that receives the code and the application number · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
The 4-digit code goes to this address as soon as you click "Next" or "Save and Exit": use an address you can open now. Without the code the application cannot go further. Nothing after a few minutes: the spam folder, then "Resend Code". One address can serve the whole family, but each application verifies it again. The application number is sent here too.
"Save and Exit" only works once the address is verified: keep the e-mail with your application number. That number, with the passport number and the date of birth, is the only way back into an unfinished application, under "Continue existing application".
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
I realised I answered one of the citizenship question wrong on my husband’s application. For question: Are you now a citizen of any other country ? I answered NO whereas I should have answered YES.
Amna T · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2023-08 · Melbourne; filled in the husband's form; ESTAs already approved
I had to stop filling in the ESTA form for a few days but it picked up at the right place.
Surreybred · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2026-09 · ESTA Mobile; paused for days, resumed where it stopped
7
Other names, other travel documents, your contact details
Online screenTop of the "Enter personal information" page · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
"Other names", then "other passports": both questions are about the past, not only today. Other names: a married or maiden name, a former name, the name you go by; not your middle names, which belong in First (Given) Name. Up to 10 entries. Other passports: any passport or identity card another country ever issued you, expired ones included.
Phone: the country code in its own box, then the number as it is dialled from abroad. Digits only, no spaces. Whether a leading 0 stays depends on the country: the UK drops it after +44, Italian landlines keep it. The site may also rewrite your home address to postal standards and ask you to certify it: read its version before accepting.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
I applied and put my short name in as an alias. I didn't put my previous married name in as the question was worded along the lines of 'known by now'. [...] came back around 4 hours later as approved.
Exploring2022 · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-07 · London; goes by a shortened first name; former married name
The App was NOT recognising any of UK mobile phones numbers.
Student/teedy · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2024-10 · ESTA Mobile; the section would not save without a number
The answer is ‘yes’. You have been issued with another passport. Doesn’t matter that it’s expired.
smudge99 · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2025-05 · Salisbury regular, to an applicant with a former nationality
8
Social media, membership, parents, employer
Online screenBottom of the same page · CBP's own screenshot (the employer block follows, below the part shown)
What to do at this step
Social media is optional: if you have accounts, leave it empty rather than tick "I do not have an online presence". That box is a statement and, like every answer here, it has to be true. Travellers who left the section blank were approved (2023). A December 2025 proposal would make five years of accounts mandatory; it had no final rule on 12 Oct 2026. Global Entry / NEXUS / SENTRI just below: "No" unless you are a member.
Parents: both are required, and only their first given name. No middle names here, unlike your own name. An unknown or long-dead parent: UNKNOWN, there is no "deceased" option. Adoptive parents, a step-parent or a guardian are accepted.
Employer, in the block below this capture: retired, unemployed, student, at home? Write the status in full (RETIRED, STUDENT, HOMEMAKER, SELF-EMPLOYED, CHILD) or give your last employer. An address you no longer know: UNKNOWN.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
Asked for parents names - they both died nearly 40 years ago but nowhere to state deceased. Asked question regarding employment - the last firm I was employed by ceased trading more than 10 years ago.
Chris from Essex · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2026-07 · ESTA Mobile; parents long dead, last employer closed
It would be a lie to say I don't have an online presence, but will it kick off something behind the scenes if I don't enter any details
Lulu58 · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2023-07 · Has Facebook and an unused LinkedIn; unsure what to answer
I didn't fill it in when I did my ESTA last week and it got approved.
tightauldgit · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2023-07 · Reply in the same thread; social-media section left empty
9
Transit question and your point of contact in the US
Online screenTop of the "Enter travel information" page · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
"In transit to another country": yes only if you fly straight on without staying. A connection on the way to Mexico or Canada is transit; a few nights in the US are not, even on the way elsewhere. With yes, the address fields that follow take IN TRANSIT and your final destination.
No contact in the US? The hotel of your first night, or UNKNOWN. The official help asks for the place where you will stay when you know nobody there. Nothing booked yet: UNKNOWN for the name, address and city, and zeros for the phone. The country code cannot be emptied: leave the +1 (United States) already selected, as on the capture.
Cruise from a US port: you are not in transit. Give the hotel of your night before boarding, or UNKNOWN, and remember that calls in Mexico, Canada or the Caribbean do not restart your 90 days.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
I also had a problem entering the address of the hotel we will be staying at! I had to tick a box to confirm that the invalid address was actually correct.
Chris from Essex · Apple App Store (UK) review of ESTA Mobile · 2026-07 · ESTA Mobile; had to certify the hotel's "invalid" address
I tried to put in the hotel I am staying in but it wouldn't accept that. Then I tried my traveling companion and it wouldn't accept that either. Eventually I got it to accept the hotel after all.
CG Ireland · Apple App Store (IE) review of ESTA Mobile · 2024-11 · ESTA Mobile; the US point of contact field
My ESTA has been approved [...] for the section regarding US point of contact, I typed 'UNKNOWN'. When it asked for 'country code', I selected the US country code (+1) and for 'Phone number', I just typed a series of zeros.
haznet · Tripadvisor California forum · 2025-06 · London; hotel not chosen yet when applying
10
Address while in the US, emergency contact
Online screenBottom of the same page · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
Address while in the US: optional, and one of only two things you can change after approval. Hotel not booked yet: leave it, or put the one you expect, and update it later for free from "Check ESTA Status". Never file a new application just to add it: a new application cancels the approved one.
Emergency contact: someone who is not travelling with you, with a phone and an e-mail. All four fields are required. With nobody to name, the official help accepts UNKNOWN for the name and the e-mail, and zeros for the phone.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
i made ESTA 10 days ago it was approved but someone told that i need to fill information where im staying in USA and i didnt added it so i made new one but now im facing this problem
amber · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2023-04 · Approved ESTA, then a needless new one; a payment error followed
Just put any hotel name and address, even one you've not booked yet. You can update it later. But in the past I think I've forgotten to update it from a previous trip and nothing happened.
Aynat62 · Tripadvisor New York City forum · 2023-05 · Sydney regular, to a traveller with no hotel booked
every single UK phone number I have entered I get this: errors.1088 error.telephonenumber.invalid I've got the UK +44 in the dropdown box and taken out the first 0, added it back in [...] nothing works.
thegreenone · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2024-03 · UK; sons' and husband's numbers refused as emergency contacts
Be wary of spaces particularly at start & end. I recently had no problems doing same. Entered +44xxxxxxxxxx where x = my mobile number w/o 0
On-the-coast · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2024-03 · UK; reply in the same thread
11
The nine eligibility questions
Online screenYes / No on each; questions 2 to 8 visible here · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
Question 2 says "arrested or convicted": an arrest without a conviction counts, and so does an old one. It covers crimes that caused serious damage to property or serious harm to a person or an authority, and the question says "ever": a conviction spent under UK law is not excluded. In doubt, the embassy, not a forum.
A "Yes" picked by mistake is a refusal within seconds, and a new application does not reliably undo it. Check each answer once chosen: travellers reported an answer flipping to "Yes" while they scrolled down the page. After a mistaken refusal, write to CBP through the CBP Info Center (link at the bottom of each page) before applying again; failing that, it is a visa.
Question 9, below the part shown here, names Cuba with the other countries and the date 1 March 2011: answer it as worded. Been to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since 1 March 2011, even in transit? Answer "yes" and give the dates. For Cuba, only a stay on or after 12 January 2021 removes eligibility (CBP FAQ): then it is a visa. An official or military mission gets a sub-question.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
there is no such thing as a spent conviction in terms of US immigration procedures. Everything must be declared, no matter how long ago it was. Not every conviction leads to a denial, but every arrest/caution/conviction must be declared.
FloridaBrit · Mumsnet · 2024-06 · Brit in Florida; a relative cannot visit over a conviction
I accidentally entered a wrong answer to one of the Eligibility Questions and it came back with a Travel not Authorized. [...] I tried the ESTA application again on Wednesday (3 days after) and it is still saying not authorized.
FrankyX · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-06 · Gold Coast; 7-day trip booked; next visa appointment April 2023
I renewed my esta in April 22 for a August 22 trip [...] Travelled out to Los Angeles August 25 2022 no problems whatsoever and that is with a passport that has quite a few Cuban stamps on it.
kel76 · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-09 · Edinburgh; several Cuba trips, the last in May 2019
Visited Cuba for 8 days on organised tour in Mar 2021. Now planning a USA trip for Christmas. [...] It is now Sept 2022 and the next visa appointment in London is Feb 2023!!!
digitaltwin · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2022-09 · Cuba after 12 January 2021: a visa instead of an ESTA
12
Waiver of rights, certification
Online screenTwo boxes, only one of them is yours · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
"Certification": tick it for your own application, after re-reading your nine answers. You certify every answer as true and give up any appeal of the officer's decision at the border. A false answer can surface years later: the ESTA is revoked, and using false information to qualify makes you permanently ineligible for the programme (CBP FAQ).
"Third parties only": tick this one instead when you fill in the form for a child, a partner or anyone else. Never both. You certify that you read every question to the traveller and that the answers are theirs and true; the traveller stays responsible for them.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
Mine was approved but his was not authorised as I ticked the Conviction box [...] we travelled to the US 7 years ago [...] where I applied for the ESTA on his behalf and I must have ticked the NO conviction box
Snookymama · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-03 · Southam, UK; filled in the husband's ESTA, now and in 2015
13
Review: open every block
Online screenEach section folds out, with its own "Edit" link · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
Open every section and read it against the passport, the eligibility answers above all. This is the last moment to fix an answer for free, and the nine eligibility answers are where a slip becomes a refusal. "Download" or "Print" (top right) keeps a copy of your answers, handy for your next application.
"Edit" fixes everything except the four passport fields; if one of those is wrong, do not pay. Passport number, issuing country, nationality and date of birth cannot be edited, even now. An unpaid application costs nothing: leave it and start a new one rather than pay for a file that stays wrong for two years.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
As they were all scroll down option of yes or no it must have moved to yes as I was moving down the page. [...] I should have picked it up when reviewing
ledwards777 · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2022-05 · Question 5 flipped to Yes; ESTA refused, visa needed
Review Application page is annoying as you have to go through each section again and click the confirm button and then re-enter the passport details and only then does it take you to the payment page.
Sandtree · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2022-05 · MSE regular, on the last pages before payment
The ESTA website is very clear. There are four entries you are unable to correct. The DOB is one of them.
Dubai_Phil · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2025-07 · Dubai regular, to applicants with a wrong date of birth
14
Verification: re-type four details from the passport
Online screenShown once every section reads "Reviewed ✓" · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
Every section must show "Reviewed ✓" before "Next" works. Open the ones still folded, even if you changed nothing: the form counts the opening, not the reading.
Re-type the passport number, issuing country, family name and date of birth from the passport itself. Not from memory, and not by copying the form. A mismatch blocks you here, and that is the safety net: it catches a first name and family name swapped, or a digit typed wrong.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
when I filled in the information correctly for the verification process, it flagged up that there was conflicting information on the form and wouldn't let me go any further. [...] I'd put my forename in the surname box and vice versa.
Traveller from UK · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2022-05 · Berkshire; swap caught only when re-typing on the verification page
15
"Pay now", within 7 days
PaymentThe application number appears here; nothing is reviewed until it is paid · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
7 days to pay, or the application is deleted: the date is printed here. Nothing is reviewed before payment. No card or PayPal choice appears? Coming back later, or the link in the application-number e-mail, brought the payment page back for travellers in 2022 and 2023.
Never dispute the payment with your bank or PayPal: this box says a refund request means automatic denial. For a group, of every application in it. If a reseller filed for you, settle any refund with them directly rather than through a card dispute.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
there is a box that must be ticked [...] please tick this box to confirm that you will not claim the Esta fees back from your bank/credit card company if your application is refused.
Steve H · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2024-07 · Felixstowe, UK; describes the last page from memory
The exact same thing just happened to me whilst trying to process my ESTA on a desktop PC - what a faff! Try following the link in your ESTA Application Number confirmation email - it eventually generated a payment link
frecklemoo · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2023-02 · No payment option after the review; fixed on another device
16
Pay.gov: PayPal or card
PaymentThe US Treasury's payment site takes over; the ESTA site waits for its answer · CBP's own screenshot
What to do at this step
PayPal or a card (Visa, MasterCard, American Express, Discover, JCB, Diners Club); never the browser's back button. Going back in the middle of the payment can leave the application showing "unpaid". Wait for Pay.gov to send you back to the ESTA site by itself.
Back on the ESTA site, "The payment status could not be determined"? Do not pay again straight away. Wait, check the status with your application number, and pay again only if it still says unpaid.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
THE PAYMENT STATUS COULD NOT BE DETERMINED AT THIS TIME. PLEASE CHECK BACK LATER FOR THE PAYMENT STATUS.
Archergirl · MoneySavingExpert forum · 2022-05 · Two ESTAs; stuck between Apply and Check Status
After you submit: what the official site shows, and what to do
Authorization approvedOften within seconds. Print or capture the screen. Valid 2 years or until the passport expires, as many trips as you like, 90 days each. The ESTA lets you board; the officer on arrival decides entry.
Authorization pendingManual review. CBP: "a determination will usually be available within 72 hours" (help, Dec 2025); it can take longer, so apply well before you book. Do not re-apply: a pending application blocks any new one on that passport. Book nothing non-refundable before the answer.
Travel not authorizedNo reason is ever given, and $10.62 of the fee is kept. A box ticked by mistake: first write to CBP through the CBP Info Center (bottom of every page); a new application with the same answers is refused again. Real ineligibility (Cuba since 12 Jan 2021, excluded nationality, previous refusal): B-2 visa at the consulate, count several weeks.
Your dates, in order
- Day 0
Application filed and paid. The application number is on screen and in the e-mail: keep it; you also need the passport number and date of birth to retrieve the file.
- Day 3
72 h elapsed. "Pending" is not a refusal. No new application.
- Day 10
Still pending: contact CBP through its online form, in English, with the application number.
- D − 7
Check that each ESTA carries the number of the passport you will board with.
- + 2 years
Expiry, or earlier if the passport expires first. A renewed passport = a new ESTA, even before the date.
Travellers who went through this step
Experiences shared by travellers, quoted with their source and date. They describe what happened to them, not what you must do: the official site is the only authority.
Just submitted an application for an Esta and got notification back saying Your travel authorization is under review because an immediate determination could not be made. [...] My husband has had the same just now.
Kathee_9 · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2026-01 · West Sussex couple, previous US trips without this; travelling May via Canada
after I didn't receive any response for 3 weeks, I used an online form on the ESTA website [...] This resulted in my ESTA being authorised within 2 hours of having raised the polite query.
VX S · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2026-01 · Pending three weeks in busy season; used CBP's online form
Call the number on the ESTA website. They escalated my case and I had a decision within 2 days, after waiting for 5 days pending.
Sazzle B · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2024-09 · Brandon, UK; pending five days, then phoned CBP
my husbands was still pending as he answered YES to question 7 about have a visa denied [...] within 30 minutes of calling the USA team the ESTA's had both been authorized.. :-)
Beverley V · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2024-07 · Group application held by the husband's pending file
i received an email saying i have 30 days left on the Esta ,but in fact i have 52 days remaining. [...] our return from the states is 8th July ,well within the 52 days
Fishman · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2026-06 · Swansea; 6 weeks of validity left, return within them
I travelled on my ESTA last month. All was fine, I double checked the status online, nothing had changed from the previously approved status.
fru_sorteravn · Tripadvisor Air Travel forum · 2026-05 · UK; thread on ESTAs approved before the selfie step
Already have an ESTA? Is it still valid for this trip?
Don't know the approval date? The official site retrieves the file with the passport number, the date of birth and the application number (or the nationality and the passport dates). Nothing here is computed anywhere but in your browser.
Travel insurance
One last thing before you leave
An ESTA covers no medical care. A night in a US hospital is billed in thousands of dollars. Compare travel insurance for the United States, with hospital bills settled directly.
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Sources: esta.cbp.dhs.gov (form labels, help texts and official FAQ, read 12 Oct 2026; question 9 wording read in the site's own code on 16 Oct 2026), cbp.gov, Federal Register notices 2025-20304, 2025-22461 and 2026-20185. Captures: the official site (French-language interface, 12 Oct 2026) and CBP's own screenshots filed with OMB in 2024 (ICR 202404-1651-002, captured on CBP's test system in 2023, $21 fee of that time). Testimonials: Tripadvisor forums, MoneySavingExpert, Mumsnet and App Store reviews of ESTA Mobile, 2022 to October 2026, quoted verbatim, shortened with [...]. HelloSafe does not file your application and stores nothing you type on this page. esta.cbp.dhs.gov