In order to prepare for your trip to the USA in the best possible way, you filled in the ESTA online form well in advance of your departure and received a positive response from the electronic systems set up by the American authorities. However, as the authorities’ response is several weeks or even months old, it’s impossible for you to get your hands on it again.
Lost your ESTA authorization? Or simply forgotten your ESTA application number? We explain how to find your ESTA electronic travel authorization.
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Retrieving a lost ESTA authorization
To put your mind at rest, an ESTA authorization can never be considered lost, and will not need to be reapplied for.
Why? Quite simply because
- 1) ESTA is an online document with no paper version,
- 2) The ESTA is always linked to the microchip in your valid passport and
- 3) During the 2-year validity period, you can retrieve your ESTA online using only your passport details.
ESTA’s unique electronic format
ESTA has been set up by the US government to guarantee US homeland security for travel under the Visa Waiver Program, which allows foreign nationals from signatory countries to travel to the USA without a visa.
Unlike the U.S. visa issued by the U.S. embassy, the ESTA application is made entirely online via an application form. The ESTA form is available on the official US government website and on private websites. The digital nature of this authorization saves considerable time both for travelers, thanks to the online form, and for the American authorities, since it is their electronic systems that analyze the applicant’s form.
ESTA is linked to passport number
The authorization application requires the applicant’s personal details and passport data. The passport is a major element in this process, because 1) the ESTA must include the information presented in the passport to be valid 2) it is electronically linked to the passport number. So there’s no need to print out the authorization, since it’s contained in your passport chip.
This intrinsic link between ESTA and passport means that 1) having a valid passport is essential (to be valid, the passport must be a valid biometric or electronic passport) 2) any change of passport invalidates the ESTA. If you obtain a new passport, you will need to apply for a new ESTA.
How can I find or check my ESTA application?
Whether you want to know your ESTA status following a pending application, or to remind you of its expiry date, the process is the same.
What is my ESTA status?
Following an online application, a response may be immediate or pending. Pending authorization requires you to wait no more than 72 hours to find out the U.S. government’s response to your ESTA application.
If the request was made on a private site, the latter will probably contact you by e-mail with the definitive answer. If the request was made on the official website, you’ll have to find the answer yourself by accessing your file. To do this, you’ll need to enter your application number (given to you when you validated your ESTA application). There’s no need to worry if you don’t have this number, as you can find your application file using your passport details: passport number, country of citizenship, date of issue and expiry date.
You have three options:
- your application is still pending, which means that you did not wait 3 days before checking your ESTA status;
- your application is accepted, which means that you can travel to the USA, provided that the planned trip is a tourist or business trip of no more than 90 days (or transit);
- your application is refused, which means that you have made a mistake on the form (a new application can be sent) or that you are not eligible (but you can still apply for a visa at the American embassy).
How do I check the validity of my ESTA?
While your ESTA authorization is valid, you can check its status online using your application number or passport information, as described above.
We remind you that the passport used for the application must be the one currently valid. If you have a new passport, you must apply for a new ESTA.