Travel

#USA travel requirements - Aer Lingus

Overview of requirements

All passengers travelling to the USA under the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP) must:

1. Apply for authorisation to travel under the VWP using the U.S. Department of Homeland Security ESTA website no less than 72 hours prior to travel.
2. Add API (Advance Passenger Information) to your booking up to 1 hour in advance of the first flight on your itinerary.
3. Hold an individual machine readable passport and a confirmed return or onward ticket (or e-ticket) for departure from the United States within 90 days.
4. Complete relevant CBP Customs Declaration form at the airport on the day of departure.

Please also review the US CBP preclearance requirements.

Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA)

Eligible citizens or nationals from all Visa Waiver Program (VWP) countries must obtain approval through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to travelling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Programme. There is a charge $14.00 USD per person to avail of this service. This charge is collected by the US Department of Homeland Security and is not an Aer Lingus fee.

Passengers apply for authorization using the https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov ESTA website.

This system is designed for visa-free passengers to obtain travel authorisation prior to travelling. ESTA will in due time replace the green I-94W Arrival/Departure record. Until this time, passengers must still complete these forms at the airport prior to departure and also add API (Advance Passenger Information) to their booking.

How the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation Works

Log onto the ESTA Web site at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov and complete an on-line application. Passengers are encouraged to apply early. The web-based system will prompt you to answer basic biographical and eligibility questions typically requested on a paper I-94W form.

Applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, however, DHS recommends that applications be submitted no less than 72 hours prior to travel. In most cases you will receive a response within seconds:

• Authorisation Approved. Travel authorised.
• Travel Not Authorised. Passenger must obtain a non-immigrant visa at a U.S. Embassy or Consulate before travelling to the U.S.
• Authorization Pending. Passenger will need to check the ESTA Web site for updates within 72 hours to receive a final response.

An approved travel authorization via ESTA is:

• Required for all VWP Passengers prior to boarding a carrier to travel by air or sea to the U.S. under the VWP beginning January 12, 2009;
• Valid, unless revoked, for up to two years or until the Passenger's passport expires, whichever comes first;
• Valid for multiple entries into the U.S. As future trips are planned, or if an applicant's destination addresses or itineraries change after their authorization has been approved, they may easily update that information through the ESTA Web site; and
• Not a guarantee of admissibility to the United States at a port of entry. ESTA approval only authorizes a Passenger to board a carrier for travel to the U.S. under the VWP. (For additional information, please visit 'For International Visitors' at www.CBP.gov/travel .)

Transit through the United States:

Eligible nationals or citizens of countries that participate in the VWP require either a travel authorization or a visa to transit the United States. If a traveler is only planning to transit through the United States en route to another country, when he or she completes the travel authorization application in ESTA, the traveler should enter the words "In Transit" and his or her final destination location in the address lines in the Address While In The United States field on the application.