How Much Does an USA ESTA Cost?
Are you about to apply for an ESTA online for your next trip to the United States? Note that like the American visa, this electronic travel authorization is subject to a charge. However, we will see in this article that the cost of this document is significantly lower than that of a traditional visa.
The Base Price of an ESTA
In order to pay for your travel authorization, you must first apply for an ESTA online. To do so, you have two options. The first one is to make a request on the official website of the American government. And the second one is to fill the online form on a private website specializing in ESTA. The base cost of an ESTA is fixed as follows:
- Application fees: $4.
- Authorization fee: $ 10.
Thus, the price of an ESTA document is basically $14. Please note that if your request is refused, the authorization fees ($10) will be refunded. However, this will not be the case for the application fees ($4). If you use a private service provider, be aware that the overall cost of your ESTA will be slightly higher because of the personalized assistance offered.
How to Pay the ESTA Cost?
To pay the cost of the travel authorization for the USA, you are simply asked to have a bank card (MasterCard, Visa, American Express or Discover) and enter your bank details. The online request payment step appears directly after the validation of the ESTA form. If you do not pay the indicated amount, your ESTA file will not be sent to the American administration, which means that you will never receive any acceptation mail.
Before paying your ESTA request, check all the information mentioned in the form. Indeed, in the event of a typing error or any other error, the United States Customs and Border Protection Service may decline your request. Pay particular attention to your passport number and to the choice of surname if you are a married woman (choose the maiden name or married name in accordance with the passport data).
Getting an ESTA is an essential step, but it is your responsibility to plan a stay that is covered by this authorization. The stay in the United States must be temporary (90 days maximum on the American territory). In addition, it must be a tourist trip or a business trip. All transit through American soil is also subject to obtaining an ESTA.
