As you know, you need an ESTA travel authorization to enter the USA. This means that nationals of these countries no longer necessarily need to apply for a visa to travel to the USA. To travel to the USA, you need to apply online for the ESTA electronic travel authorization system.
Like all documents and authorizations, the ESTA USA has a validity period. How long is it valid for? And how many trips to the U.S. are possible with the ESTA document? Answer in this article.
ESTA authorization validity period
The electronic travel authorization system for the USA is valid for 2 years. During these two years, the holder of the document has the opportunity to make not just one trip to the USA, but several.
It should be pointed out that, despite the two-year validity period, the ESTA may expire earlier. When you applied for authorization, you used an electronic or biometric passport, more precisely a passport number. This number is electronically linked to your ESTA application. Unfortunately, if you lose your biometric or electronic passport before your ESTA expires, it will still be unusable.
You then need to apply for a new passport at your local town hall. Once you’ve done this, you can submit a new ESTA application on the official U.S. government website, or via a specialized site. The U.S. authorities will then analyze your request once again, and decide whether or not to grant you authorization. Always make sure you meet the ESTA document requirements before filling in the online form: plan a trip to the USA of no more than 90 days, for tourism, business or transit, and have a valid passport.
The response to your ESTA application
An ESTA application is not always granted, and no one can revoke an answer given by the American government. In fact, there are 3 possible responses to your online application. The first is “authorization granted”, which means that you have received approval to travel to the United States.
The second is ” authorization refused “, meaning that the authorization in question has not been granted. In this case, there are only two ways to resolve the situation. The first is to wait about ten days before renewing the authorization request on the U.S. government site or on a private site. Be sure to correct any errors in the ESTA form, as it may have been a typing error that led to the first rejection. The second alternative is to
The last status is “authorization pending”. In this case, you have to wait up to 72 hours to receive the result. This is neither a good nor a bad sign.
How many trips can be made during the validity period?
You cannot stay more than 90 days on U.S. soil during a single trip, but it is possible to make several trips during the year even if the total number of days accumulated on U.S. territory exceeds 90 days.
The U.S. government itself does not specify exactly how many trips are possible on its territory. We recommend that you remain cautious and do not return directly to the USA, but rather to your country of origin. Allow as much time to pass as the duration of your previous stay in the USA. You don’t want to arouse false suspicions on the part of the American authorities that you are living illegally in the USA. So be patient before your next trip.
For longer stays, don’t hesitate to contact your nearest U.S. embassy to apply for a U.S. visa.
Travel advice: to find the validity date of your document, you’ll need your ESTA number and consult the government website.