Visa exemption: how do you fill out the ESTA form for the United States?

Filling out an ESTA application is a fairly quick process, but there are some questions and pieces of information required that can complicate the application. This can happen if the applicant does not fully understand what they should do, either because of language limitations, a lack of information or they are not sure what information they should provide. It’s worth getting to know the system – which is simple and clear, and unlike filling out a visa application, you can definitely fill out the ESTA application form independently without the help of expensive external companies.

1. The US State Department recommends Submit the ESTA application at least 72 hours before the trip. Israelis who have already filled out the form and received an answer testify that in practice they received it within a few hours. currently, The cost of submitting the application is 40 dollars (about NIS 125).

2. A family application can be submitted.

2. The estimated average time It takes about half an hour to complete the application.

3. A new application must be submitted in the following cases:

• The applicant was issued New passport.
• the passenger changed his name.
• the passenger changed his sex.
• The traveller’s country of citizenship has changed.
• change in circumstances underlying the traveler’s previous answers to each of the ESTA application questions that require a “yes” or “no” response
• The two years have expired of the existing certificate.

4. There is no need to go to the US Embassy to get the approval. It will be received online through the e-mail specified in the application. It is important to know that at the same time as the ESTA form, a form can still be issued at the embassy.

• Valid biometric passport: Every person who submits the application for exemption from visa, must make sure that he has an electronic passport (e-passport). These are passports that contain an electronic chip with the same information that is printed on the data page of the passport: the holder’s name, date of birth and other biographical information. An electronic passport also contains biometric identification, and the United States requires that the chip contain a digital image of its holder. Those who hold a non-biometric passport are required to issue a regular visa to the United States and cannot submit an ESTA application.

  > For the complete guide to issuing a visa to the United States

• Credit card: The payment for the ESTA application is online. Therefore, you must make sure you have a valid credit card to pay the fee. You can also pay with PayPal.
• An active e-mail to which you can contact for correspondence in case of need and receive the confirmation.

Once you have all of these, you can access the application site. The application has several steps in which you will be required to specify personal information, confirm details and pay. Pay attention! The entire form is in English, so you must fill out the application accurately and make sure you understand all the parts.

Step 1: Personal details

After entering the main page of the ESTA application, you must choose between two options: filling out an application for an individual or filling out an application for a family. Both options appear when you click the blue button CREATE NEW APPLICATIONwhich is on the right. Below these options you will also find a button CONTINUE EXISTING APPLICATION White, whose purpose is to return to an application that is already in process (up to 30 days from the moment the first application was opened).

1. After you choose the type of request, you will go to the page Disclaimers where you will be asked to confirm that you have read the instructions, guidelines and procedures that will apply to you at the time and after submitting the application. Among the issues is also the fact that a person who submits an ESTA application knows that it is a different application than the visa, and that other laws apply to it that must be followed. Also, the person submitting the request indicates that he knows that if he is caught lying, his request may be rejected immediately.

   After you finish reading the text, confirm it separately in both tabs and press the NEXT button to move to the next step.

    

2. A window will now open UPLOAD YOUR PASSPORT where you will be asked Upload the passport to the system your. There are two options: the first is choosing from a gallery, the second is using the camera to scan the passport. must be uploaded The personal details page in the passport (including the image and the text) in a clear, bright and unblurred manner. The details in the passport must fully match For the applicant’s details in the application form. Click on a button ADD TO MY APPLICATION.

    

3. Pay attention! When uploading the passport photo, the system should pull certain details automatically. However, you should go through the details again and not trust the system. If you need to correct or update the details, be sure Fill in all the information in Englishwith all the fields marked with a red asterisk
4. They are mandatory fields – if you do not fill them in, you will not be able to complete the application. The first part of the form requires Personal details

5. Be sure to fill in all the details in English and accurately according to their appearance in the passport

6. Holders of additional citizenship are required to state this explicitly At the end of this step you can save the form and exit if you need to. Remember!

7. Can be saved at any time if needed Applicants are asked about Social network pages
8. their. In this section you will be asked to fill in the relevant information. Applicants do not have to attach the information, but it can help advance the application. However, please note that there is no information on your social networks that could deny you the approval of the application. Problematic information includes pictures or written information. subscribers GE/NEXUS/SENTRI MEMBERSHIP
9. – A subscription that speeds up the border crossing process for low-risk and approved travelers to Canada and the USA (for a fee) – you are required to fill in a number

In this section you will also be asked to fill in the details of your workplace. The information also includes the name of the workplace.

Step 2: Travel details

1. In this part of the application you will be required to fill in the travel details including address and contact number in the United States. Specific travel plans are not required at the time of application, but you will need a US contact number.
2. If you are arriving in the United States as part of a connecting flight, you must indicate this in the first question in this part of the application. If you are not proceeding to another country immediately, by checking “No”, you will be asked to fill in the details you know. The address where you will stay in the United States is recommended for completing the application and if several locations are planned,You only need to enter the first address
3. . If a complete address is not known, you can enter the name of the hotel, the location you will visit or other information that gives an indication of the planned visit. In the rest of this section you will be asked to enter Contact details

inside or outside the United States. You can write a contact person in Israel, but note that he must have an active e-mail address in case of need.

Step 3: Eligibility questions In the next part of the ESTA application form you will be required to indicate using a “yes” and “no” questionnaire. All questions on this page are mandatory and must be answered accurately. Some of the questions are about in a medical condition Including illnesses, drug use or a mental state that can be a problem. Additional questions in this section examine the his criminal record of the applicant, connection to terrorist operations and organizations,Refusal to obtain a visa in the past , Misuse of visaor b Prepaid in certain countries

including Cuba. With positive answers, you may be required to add relevant information as needed. Pay attention! A wrong answer in this part can be interpreted as a lie or a distortion of the truth, so make sure you areAll questions are answered correctly and accurately . Moreover, if your situation changed before coming to the United States, Remember to update the application

So that you don’t encounter problems entering the country.

Step 4: Verify the details After you fill out the entire application, you will be presented with a summary of all your information. This is the time to make sure that all the information you entered was correct. You will be required to go through each part and then mark CONFIRM & CONTINUE.You cannot change any of the information once your application has been submitted and approved

so make sure everything is correct at this point. Submitting incorrect information means submitting another application from the beginning, including payment and waiting time. After you have made sure that all the details in the application are correct, the final step you will reach is the payment. This is a fee of 40 dollars (about NIS 125), which can be paid with a credit card or PayPal. Now you have A week to pay for the request The specific one you filled out.An unpaid request will not be approved

In the last part, you will be required to pay the fee within a week from the day the application is opened

To track your application, you must log in to the ESTA website again and enter the application number that was sent to you by e-mail. If three days have not yet passed, there is no reason to worry, but as mentioned, you should plan to submit the application at least 72 days before the trip.

Step 6: Receiving the certificate and using it You will receive the confirmation of the ESTA request through the e-mail address you specified in the application. Once you receive the approval, Print the confirmationand kept it for border control in the United States . remember,The ESTA approval is not a substitute for a passport