New Visa Requirements for USA January 2009

New Electronic System for Travel Authority:

US Customs has introduced a new mandatory requirement for travellers planning on entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (V.W.P.).

The V.W.P. is available for nationals of 27 countries (including Australia, NZ, UK, Germany and Singapore) who are travelling for temporary business or leisure. To date, the only requirement for passengers travelling the US under the V.W.P. has been to carry a machine-readable passport containing a digital photo. This new requirement called Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) means that from 12 January 2009, all passengers travelling under the V.W.P. will now have to apply over the internet for an ESTA. ESTA applications may be submitted by customers themselves at any time prior to travel to the United States and VWP travellers are encouraged to apply for authorization as soon as they begin to plan a trip to the United States. Applications should be made at least 3 days prior to travel.
For further information contact our staff on 0191 2515000