U.S. border authorities will take a zero-tolerance approach starting Jan. 20 to travelers entering the country without either a visa or pre-departure travel authorization, British Airways warned yesterday.
BA said that Customs and Border Protection no longer would show flexibility to passengers entering the United States through the Visa Waiver Program without having obtained pre-departure approval to travel through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
ESTA was introduced in August 2008 on a voluntary basis, but although it officially became compulsory on Jan. 12, 2009, BA said CBP officials have shown some leniency to visitors who were unaware of the requirement. "We have been informed that from Jan. 20 it is absolutely final that no one will be allowed in if they have not been through the process," an airline spokeswoman told
EuroBTN.
Passport holders from 27 countries, including most European Union member states, are allowed to enter the U.S. without a visa if they obtain ESTA clearance. The process is free of charge through
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Approval is valid for unlimited visits for two years.