There's a shit load of information and I think I've got it-
I'm going to the US to dick about for 30 days, so I just need to apply on ESTA, cos I'm British and less likely to bomb seven shades of shit out of the most powerful country in the world, right?
Correct,
Ta.
God, got to be careful with it. I almost submitted it saying I had committed a crime of "moral fortitude".
No, the yanks think Britain is a high risk country but that's still all you need to do. Don't expect the interrogation procedure to take any less time or the border guys to be any more cheerful about it. The only thing it stops is you getting sent to the back of the queue when you don't fill your green form in properly.
All it does it give them £40 of your hard earned and **** all else...
They appear not to have asked me for £40...
£40? Has someone been using one of those rip-off sites that fill in the online form for them? Its free, takes a maximum of 72 hours to be processed (though mine and two other applications were approved 4 hours are completing the form) and it lasts two years from date of approval. You can still be turned away at US immigration if you decide to dick around and tell them you have a bomb or something. US immigration have no sense of humour, be warned!
S+J- I've met the stony faced people there before, I know how to behave around them.
I do resent them treating me like a sack of shit and scanning my eyes and so on, makes me feel guilty without trial.
£40? - you've been ripped off fella
I did one for a recent visit & still had to fill the green form in on the plane - not sure why they needed both, maybe still phasing it in
Uplink - The ESTA is not designed to replace the green card, just to compliment it. Its designed to give DHS a heads up into who is applying to travel to the states in advance incase they want to pull you for some more in depth questioning. It does beg the question though as to what terrorists have ever been caught out by the 'are you a terrorist' type question.....?
It does beg the question though as to what terrorists have ever been caught out by the 'are you a terrorist' type question.....?
indeed
Think its Moral Turpitude, not Fortitude....
At least they have removed that grinning baboon pic of Bush from the airports. The entry process at immigration doesnt feel like a welcome to the land of the free. They have all been hit with the misery stick..
I went out there last week, as I understood it the idea is that the online thing will replace the I-94W Visa Waiver form in due course - but not yet, because they're not sure it works right.
My application went through more or less instantly, and (having (a) gone United, hence fewer Brits and (b) been bumped up to First, lucky me) I was 3rd off the plane and sailed through, with a cheery wave to the 'welcomer' (a new thing since my last trip) and obviously the requisite fingerprint/photo malarky.
Took me 20 mins max from landing at Denver to standing outside the airport waiting for the bus into town...
Ian
God, got to be careful with it. I almost submitted it saying I had committed a crime of "moral fortitude".
Did you 'fess up to the Superstar arson thing?
My advice is to print a copy of your ESTA confirmation and take it with you. Officially you don't need the print-out to get in the US, but it could be useful.
My wife had a nasty experience where the airline (AA in Lima, flying to Miami) wouldn't let her check-in to her flight without proof of ESTA. I'm sure it was just some cocky, jobsworth check-in attendant pulling an excuse to deal with an over-booked flight, but a simple print-out would have put him in his place and saved a lot of trouble.
it was nt working when i went a couple of months ago so although i filled in the online form i still had to fill in a visa waiver when i landed - they have a software problem or something
as for paying for the online form - you do not have to
however be careful where you download the form from as there are numerous agencies who charge for submitting them!
How things have changed. I won a trip to LA in '93, and took a mate with me. His passport showed him all young and clean-shaven, however, in the meantime he'd grown a beard that would have got him membership of the Fleet Foxes. On arrival at LAX, the immigration guy looks closely at my mate's pic, then at him, then at me. Keeping a perfectly straight face, he said, "I'm not sure wether we ought to let him in or not. What do you think?" to which I replied, "well, after coming all this way, it would be cruel not to". "Oh, all right then", he said with a grin and waved us through. Just can't imagine that happening nowadays, sadly.