U.S. Customs and Border
Protection on Sept. 8 plans to begin collecting through the newly established
Electronic System for Travel Authorization a $14 fee once every two years from
travelers entering the United States from visa-waiver countries. The fees will
fund a new federal tourism bureau established this year by the Travel Promotion
Act.
That law called for a $10
fee to be collected through ESTA to fund 50 percent of the Corporation for Travel
Promotion, whose mission is to promote the United States to "travelers,
travel agents, tour operators, meeting planners, foreign governments, travel
media and other international stakeholders" through advertising, outreach
and education, with private industry
funding the other half. However, the U.S. Travel Association said it expects
the U.S.
Department of Homeland Security to add a
$4 administrative fee to cover CBP costs, bringing the total cost for
authorizations to $14.
Use
of ESTA has been free since DHS early last year mandated the program, through
which users submit biographic data prior to entry, replacing paper forms. The
European Union counts as its members 23 of the 36 countries that participate in
the visa-waiver program.