What is the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)?
ESTA is an Internet-based application that will verify a potential visitor’s eligibility to travel to the United States under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program. Travelers will input, into the ESTA, information that is largely the same as that collected via the I-94W Nonimmigrant Alien Arrival/Departure Form, already required for admission to the United States. A valid ESTA approval (which takes the form of a positive response from the system) must be received prior to boarding a carrier en route to the United States.
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has established a new online system that is part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) for travelers who plan to travel to the U.S. for temporary business or pleasure. Effective January 12, 2009, ESTA is mandatory for visa free travel to the U.S. for all nationals or citizens of all 35 VWP participant countries, including South Korea, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Slovakia, Malta, and other existing VWP member countries.
