If you are French or if you belong to one of the countries that benefit from special agreements with the USA, a simple ESTA authorisation is all you need to travel to the USA.
Applying for an ESTA to go to New York
In order to enter the United States, foreign travellers must have official authorisation issued by the administrative services of that country. Generally, this is a Visa.
However, for citizens of a country that is eligible for simplified formalities to enter the United States, this visa has been replaced by the ESTA (Electronic System of Travel Authorization).
What is ESTA?
The ESTA is an authorisation that allows certain people to enter and travel in the United States. These people belong to countries that have signed a special agreement with the United States (the Visa Waiver Program), which is the case for nationals from one of the countries of the European Union, and therefore France
Who is concerned?
The application for ESTA authorisation concerns people who, in addition to being from a country with special agreements, also meet these criteria:
- not already be a Visa holder;
- are travelling to the United States for tourism or business purposes;
- undertake a stay that will last less than 90 days.
How to apply for my ESTA authorization?
The application for ESTA is made online. The address of the official website of the organisation responsible for issuing this authorisation is https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/. It is a multilingual site. You can therefore complete the entire ESTA application procedure by following the instructions and guidelines in French.
Which document should be provided?
For each person who will travel to the United States, you should prepare these documents and information :
- a valid biometric passport (which will be valid at the time of your stay in the USA). The procedures for obtaining this electronic passport are quite complex and it takes an average of 4 weeks to obtain it;
- a credit card such as MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover, JCB or Diners Club, in order to pay the 14 dollars that each ESTA application will cost you. For example, if you are travelling as a family, two adults and two children, you will have to pay 56 dollars (4 x 14 dollars);
- your contact details;
- your most recent job (for working people).
What are the deadlines that apply to ESTA authorization?
Your ESTA application must be submitted 72 hours before your departure for the United States. However, you should know that once you have filled in the required information and made the payment, the response from the ESTA issuing agency will be almost immediate.
Your ESTA authorisation should be available within 4 hours. All you have to do is print it out and put it in your passport.
The ESTA authorisation is valid for two years from the date of issue and can be used indefinitely during this period.
What happens when I go through customs?
When you present yourself to the customs officer, he or she will only ask you for two documents: your passport and the little green paper you filled in on the plane or boat that will take you to the United States.
The customs officer does not need the paper ESTA authorisation, as it will appear on his screen when he scans your biometric passport. However, it is advisable to present your ESTA authorisation at this time.
Note that the customs officer has the right to allow you to enter the United States or not.
Special cases
If you change your passport during the two-year validity period of your ESTA, this authorisation loses all its value. This applies to people who have to reissue their passport or change certain information (lost, expired, change of address, etc.).
You will then have to make a new application to the ESTA Agency. If your ESTA application has been refused, you will have to apply for a Visa.
