ESTA - now more questions!

I went to renew our ESTA's yesterday and heck did I get a shock

There are so many more questions now
* 'parents names'
* 'emergency contact in or out of the US'
* 'employment details'
* 'US point of contact' but then also
* 'address while in the USA'

It took forever to very carefully complete all the answers (dare not do it wrong!)I then entered all my credit cards details, checked the 'pay' button and the darn screen went all blank

We got an email saying applications approved but waiting payment. I'm going to give it a couple of days so I can check with my bank that the payment is not actually pending, as paying $28 twice would really annoy me

[buns]

Yes - I too was thrown by the extra questions

My application was not approved immediately, but now sorted

Ready for the added questions when we arrive

buns

Requiring obtrusive questions to be answered, and probing old ladies in wheelchairs. Just another way we're keeping you safe!

they are learning from the indian visa application for UK nationals

i did that one in october, now it even asks about grandparents, clearly still extremely sensitive about 1947, bad design though: the box where you list coutries visited in the last ten years didn't let me fit them all in, oh noes!

I also started the protracted registration process only to be told at the end of it that our ESTA's were still valid and in fact expire 2 days after our scheduled arrival at MCO. I checked on the ESTA website and found a question the answer to which made it clear you only need a valid ESTA for the date of your arrival in the USA not your whole stay, so this year we are excused the process. Result!

I went to renew our ESTA's yesterday and heck did I get a shock

There are so many more questions now
* 'parents names'
* 'emergency contact in or out of the US'
* 'employment details'
* 'US point of contact' but then also
* 'address while in the USA'

It took forever to very carefully complete all the answers (dare not do it wrong!)I then entered all my credit cards details, checked the 'pay' button and the darn screen went all blank

We got an email saying applications approved but waiting payment. I'm going to give it a couple of days so I can check with my bank that the payment is not actually pending, as paying $28 twice would really annoy me

Given that all of those, except your parents' names, may change before your travel and will likely change during the life of the ESTA you do have to ask what's the point?

Requiring obtrusive questions to be answered, and probing old ladies in wheelchairs. Just another way we're keeping you safe!

Indeed, there's no evidence that any of this prevents an act of terror. Knowing that my grandmother was called Anne, has no bearing on the likelihood of anything. It's mass data surveillance for no purpose other than mass data for unspecified reasons, it has no intelligence, it has no meaning. I get so angry about these things.

There are much more sensible alternatives.

Given that all of those, except your parents' names, may change before your travel and will likely change during the life of the ESTA you do have to ask what's the point?

Absolutely, my address in the US is often just an airport hotel which I list then after that we are all over the place. In April we will be staying part in Arizona & part in California.

Last time I couldn't even change the 'carrier info' which still listed I was arriving into the US on a BA flight - but in fact we had just landed after travelling with Virgin.

Totally agree with slinky09 - it is a waste of time.

Like most government bureaucracy (Ebola testing at UK airports, for instance) it's largely about ticking boxes, covering backsides and showing a sceptical electorate that something's being done, even if it actually achieves very little.

Next time the CBP Commissioner is summoned before Congress, he can reassure the politicians that background checks on aliens have been stepped up and the soon-to-be-voting American public can sleep soundly knowing that no undesirable foreigners will be able to enter the country in these uncertain times.

I too just did an ESTA application.

I didn't see a box for entering a date of planned travel..?? I'm sure that used to be a question.

It did baffle me a lot when I filled it in last year, and had to do one including my Mum, which meant me having to call her up when I was actually filling it in...

I wasn't sure if it used to need a landing address, but the rest of stuff like parents name is definitely new.

Just reviewed my ESTA renewal from November last year. I left address whilst in the US blank although cannot remember why. That said as the ESTA covers multiple trips an address would change every time. US POC I put as company HQ details

I had to renew mine a few weeks ago, too, as I had to replace my passport (new photo required as they were getting testy at US immigration about my lack of resemblance to my old one!) I think what slinky09 and gumshoe said about the extra questions/data required is right on the money.

It's even more annoying when all you want to do is get off one plane and leave the U.S. within three hours to go onwards to another country. Why they can't transit you in the US like they do at other major world airports is beyond me.

Silly rules.

Will have to do this for both myself and the misses for our US trip later this year.

Another silly rule is the "prove your gadget works by turning it on". Was in Dubai, flying back to MAN with Emirates. At the gate there was a big sign saying you will need to prove your device is real etc etc - however, no one bothered to check, so we just showed passports, scanned BP and walked on. - why bother !

I agree with previous comments that ESTA is essentially a waste of time - but one we have to comply with. The airline you fly to the USA on will transmit the Advanced Passenger Information (API) you provided when the flight departs from the UK. This gives "Uncle Sam" at least 6hrs to run the names / dates of birth of the passengers against their databases of "not welcome" people. This process can be done in seconds too.

I fail to see how allowing someone onto US soil, refusing them entry & putting them on the next flight home is a huge security risk. They would never leave the "sterile" arrivals section of the airport.

That said, I do carry a printout of my ESTA approval with me as backup / proof that I am approved... just in case. I want to leave the airport on arrival in the USA.

It's only like the TSA having to treat everyone the same - which is daft, but part of the US Constitution I believe. Does the 90yr old granny in a wheelchair (travelling on a return ticket around Thanksgiving) pose the same threat level as a young male, possibly of Arabic appearance, travelling on a one-way ticket purchased with cash very close to the departure date? History would suggest "no", but to the TSA, it's a "yes".

Yes it is something we have to comply with. But if you don't want to comply then you can basically cross the USA off your list of destinations to visit or even transit through.

At least unlike many other countries we in the UK don't normally have to apply for a visa to gain entry into the US.

I fail to see how allowing someone onto US soil, refusing them entry & putting them on the next flight home is a huge security risk. They would never leave the "sterile" arrivals section of the airport.

What if a flight is severely delayed for bad weather or there is shutdown of airspace like 9/11 for a few days?
Would you expect people to stay in the Airport?

At least we have a waiver program & not in one of them countries that would need an expensive visa.

I fail to see how allowing someone onto US soil, refusing them entry & putting them on the next flight home is a huge security risk. They would never leave the "sterile" arrivals section of the airport.

What if a flight is severely delayed for bad weather or there is shutdown of airspace like 9/11 for a few days?
Would you expect people to stay in the Airport?

At least we have a waiver program & not in one of them countries that would need an expensive visa.

You had a visa waiver programme before the need to pay for an esta. I don't see why I should pay just to transit. I can transit for free in the Middle East China and Russia. I guess we are all paying for Obama care.