U.S. Implements Electronic Travel Authorization For Select Visitors

Travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries as of today must obtain entry approval through the U.S. Department of Homeland Security's newly launched Electronic System for Travel Authorization.

DHS in August last year launched the ESTA online tool to screen and authorize U.S.-bound travelers prior to boarding transportation to the country. Through the ESTA site, travelers can submit information online and, once approved, the clearance is valid for up to two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever comes first.

DHS said the online ESTA program collects the same information as the I-94W form, which travelers typically completed onboard aircraft prior to entering the United States.

The program is available to citizens or nationals from the 35 Visa Waiver Program countries, including eight countries that joined the program last year: the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Slovakia and South Korea.

"We have been collecting information from visa waiver travelers for decades, and establishing a program to get that same information in advance is one enhancement that allowed us to extend the valuable benefit of visa-free travel to eight new countries in 2008," DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff said today in a statement. Since launching ESTA last year, DHS said more than 1.2 million applicants have filed requests through the system, with a 99.6 percent approval rate.

"DHS will take a reasonable approach to travelers who have not obtained an approved travel authorization via ESTA, and will continue an aggressive advertising and outreach campaign throughout 2009," the department said in a statement today. "Travelers without an approved ESTA are advised, however, that they may be denied boarding, experience delayed processing, or be denied admission at a U.S. port of entry."