V-Flyer

I have just filled in forms for three family members, who will be going to florida in June. Please take your time in filling in each person,it is quite long winded now, and can be a bit nervy if you are not used to form filling. . I have added these into the manage my booking and all in all it has taken a good hour from begining to end. Good luck.

But much better than the dreaded green forms (although they were free).

I used to sweat in the MCO immigration line in case we had made a mistake.

Certainly better than the old green form, on one occasion years ago the green stub was removed from by passport on departing the US but the detail presumably not entered on the system as the next time I entered the US I had problems at immigrations, nearly resulted in me being sent home on the next flight to the UK as officials though I had overstayed on my previous visit, had to eventually provide loads of info to the American Embassy to prove that I had been living & working in the UK during the period they suspected I had be in the US.

Think it's a rip off when you are only transiting through an airport I,e. Through MIA to Carribean

If you want to get a history of your entry and exit to the US under the visa waiver scheme (the old I94-w green form) attached to your current passport then the CBP has this tool

tontybear wrote:If you want to get a history of your entry and exit to the US under the visa waiver scheme (the old I94-w green form) attached to your current passport then the CBP has this tool

Wow, never knew about that! That's awesome thanks!

If you are applying for an ESTA make sure you go through the official US CBP site as there are one or two that look very similar but charge you for their use.

Dick D

dickydotcom wrote:If you are applying for an ESTA make sure you go through the official US CBP site as there are one or two that look very similar but charge you for their use.

Dick D

AFAIK there is still an admin fee on the US CBP site.

Yes, official rate is $14. The scammers referred to charge extra.

Oh good post, need to get mine and the families done for April, with the better half having to go to the US embassy

this is the place to do it... https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

if you will not travel before april, i'd leave it until a week or so before

I just received a reminder if your ESTA is due to expire, which I don't remember from before I renewed last time around.

Lucydog wrote:I have added these into the manage my booking and all in all it has taken a good hour from begining to end. Good luck.

I thought all you had to do in Manage My Booking was say whether, if not a US citizen, you were entering the US on an ESTA or a Visa? The rest of the data on the VS site is Advanced Passenger Information and doesn't feed into the ESTA system.

Very interesting Tonty thanks for that.

AS our passports have different expiry dates and hubby's was renewed last year have had to do another ESTA for him, so now we are a year out, so had to pay again. Its only a small amount so cannot grumble. (wish the exchange rate would improve) as I have had to book SIX different hotels for our forthcoming USA holiday in May.

If anybodys interested Topcashback have an extra 10% bonus on this weekend on any transactions as they are 10 years old. Just filled my boots with all the parking and nights at hotels etc. Linda

sungod wrote:this is the place to do it... https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

if you will not travel before april, i'd leave it until a week or so before

That is very risky - if you are not automatically approved & need to visit the US Embassy, then the odds of getting an appointment within a week is probably zero. I can't see any travel insurance paying out because you failed to get the correct documents, i.e. ESTA approval, in good time.

I always do my ESTA a couple of months in advance, just in case. Since ESTA was introduced I have always been approved instantly - but I do not take this for granted. No doubt the USA re updating their lists of "no fly" / "do not admit" people on a daily basis - all you need is a name and / or date of birth to match.

Tonty - thanks for the link to that tool, checked out my I-94 entries on my passport and they're all correct (phew!) each arrival has a subsequent departure.

Kraken, I agree, there's no way I'd leave applying for an ESTA to a week before despite being a frequent traveller to the US and never having had any issues. I think two months before should give you enough time in case any unforeseen problems arrive.

Yes - dumb to leave till the last minute; get ESTA approval as soon as feasible and preferably before you part with any non-refundable cash on the trip. It's not an insurable event if you don't have the necessary documentation, and there is always the possibility - however slight - that there is a problem and negotiation with the Embassy - or, worse, a VISA - is needed. And either can take months.

Lucy are you sure that you were on the Official website?

When I did my original ESTA in 2013, it was marginally complex, but they have since simplified some of the questions, I am fairly certain I was not asked if I was a member of the Nazi party this time around!

ColOrd wrote:Lucy are you sure that you were on the Official website?

When I did my original ESTA in 2013, it was marginally complex, but they have since simplified some of the questions, I am fairly certain I was not asked if I was a member of the Nazi party this time around!

Yes that question has recently been replaced by a general 'have you ever been a naughty boy or girl' one!