After submitting your ESTA form, would you like to know the status of your application? Generally speaking, the electronic systems of the American authorities send a definitive reply within a few minutes. However, it may take longer.
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What is the status of an ESTA application?
To begin with, you should know that ESTA status refers to the American authorities’ response to your authorization request.
You will receive a reply within 72 hours of submitting your online form. It may take 3 different forms: authorization granted, application pending or trip refused.
Authorization pending
A pending authorization is simply an authorization request that has not yet been processed or that requires further checking. ESTA status is therefore neutral.
The final answer will be available within 3 days of the request.
ESTA authorization granted
As the name suggests, authorization means that the US government accepts your travel to the USA under the Visa Waiver Program, i.e. with an ESTA and not a US visa. Your trip to the USA must, however, meet a number of requirements:
- Travel to the USA must be by air or sea, via an approved airline or shipping company;
- the trip in question must be a tourist, business or transit trip;
- you may stay in the U.S. for a maximum of 90 days.
The ESTA is a travel authorization, not an entry authorization. Your entry into the USA is decided at customs. The immigration officer may ask you a few basic questions about your stay in the USA, and ask you to show your ticket for leaving the country, i.e. your return or onward ticket to your final destination.
ESTA authorization denied
A denied travel authorization means that you do not meet the eligibility criteria set by the U.S. government, or that you have made an entry error on the ESTA form.
If the refusal is due to an error, you can renew your ESTA application by observing a period of 10 days between receipt of the refusal and the new application. You will also have to pay the ESTA application fee again ($21). If this decision is based on non-compliance with the Visa Waiver Program eligibility requirements, please contact the consular services of the American embassy (or consulate general) to apply for a visa.
Please note that to travel to the USA, you need a valid passport, i.e. a biometric passport (fingerprint registration) or an electronic passport (microchip). To apply for a passport, please contact your local town hall.
How can I find out the status of my ESTA?
Now that you know the different ESTA statuses, let’s see how to find out the status of your online application.
If you have ordered your application from a private website, you will receive a definitive answer by e-mail. For applications made on the official website, all you need is your application number, or your passport details (passport number, date and country of issue, expiry date, etc.).
You can use this procedure to check whether your ESTA authorization is still valid. The authorization is valid for a maximum of 2 years. However, it becomes null and void if you buy a new passport.