ESTA Status

Have you successfully completed and submitted your ESTA Visa application or are you planning to travel to the USA for a second time and don’t know if your ESTA is still valid? Your ESTA status will answer all these questions!

There are three different messages that can be displayed when you check the status of your ESTA. The different ESTA application responses and their meanings are:

ESTA is valid for 2 years or until your passport expires. It depends on which happens earlier. As long as the ESTA holder still meets the requirements for visa-free travel, they can enter or exit the USA during this time period without re-applying.

You need to apply for a new ESTA if:

• you get a new passport
• your name changes due to marriage, divorce, adoption, etc.
• your sex changes
• your citizenship changes
• your answers to the security questions change

 If you move within your country, your ESTA is still valid. Before traveling to the USA, you should always make sure that your ESTA is still valid.

ESTA is valid for 2 years and allows you to travel multiple times to the USA for stays up to 90 days!

As soon as you get a new passport, your previous ESTA becomes invalid. It is irrelevant if your ESTA is still valid because your travel authorization is directly linked to your passport. A new passport means that you must apply for a new ESTA.

ESTA is directly linked to your passport. As soon as you get a new passport, you have to apply for a new ESTA.

A person’s life can change quickly and often. That is why the ESTA travel authorization is only valid for 2 years. As soon as you marry, for example, you will need a new ESTA. Furthermore, you must update information which could possibly lead to your ESTA being denied (e.g. contagious decease, criminal convictions, etc.) Having a defined period of validity allows the US authorities to check if ESTA applicants continue to meet the requirements of the Visa Waiver Program.

On each trip to the USA, you can stay for up to 90 days with an ESTA. The length of your stay in the USA is decided by the border officer on the border. This means the they decide if you get to stay for the full 90 days or have the right to give you less days. It is important to be able to show a return flight ending in a country other than Mexico, Canada or any in the Caribbean.

So be sure to check the stamp on your passport to make sure that your ESTA is valid for the entire length of your trip.USA. 

When traveling with an ESTA, try to spend more time in your home country between trips to the USA. Bring proof of your connections to your home country like work or housing contracts.

If the validity of your ESTA expires during your USA trip you do not need to submit a new application. The ESTA permit only needs to be valid upon entry, not for the entire period of your stay. 

If your ESTA expires during your trip to the United States, you should also check the allowed length of time on your entry stamp, which you will receive in your passport at the airport. It is possible that the US border official will not grant you the regular 90-day stay, but will adjust your entry permit to the validity of your ESTA. 

If you do not take this into account and still stay longer in the USA, it is considered an overstay and you will be permanently disqualified from visa-free entry with ESTA.

Even if your ESTA does not necessarily have to be valid for your entire stay in the USA, your passport must not expire during your stay! If you are a citizen of a country that belongs to the "Six Months Club" - such as Germany e.g. - your passport must be valid for at least the duration of your stay including the day of departure.

No, you cannot renew an ESTA. An authorized ESTA is only ever valid for two years. As soon as your ESTA is invalid, you must apply for a new one. You do not have to apply for a new ESTA if you move within your country or travel to the USA again.

You can apply for a new ESTA even if your current one is still valid. You can do this if the validity of your current ESTA is not long enough for your entire stay in the USA. As soon as your new ESTA is authorized, the old one automatically becomes invalid and you are only allowed to use the new one.

No, the maximum number of days you can stay in the USA with an ESTA is 90 and it cannot be extended. If you don't depart from the USA on time, you will be staying in the USA illegally. This can have consequences on future trips to America. If you want to stay in longer than 90 days, then you must apply for an appropriate visa (e.g. B1 or B2 visa) beforehand.

Those who want to stay in the USA for longer than 90 days must apply for an appropriate US visa!

Only in individual cases will the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) allow ESTA travelers to stay longer in the USA. This includes urgent and unpredictable situations, such as flight cancellations due to bad weather or strike, or serious medical circumstances that make it impossible to return and leave the USA within 90 days. It is strongly recommended that you contact the USCIS and provide evidence of this, as it is at their sole discretion.

Even if you have a valid ESTA, you can be denied entry into the USA at the border. The travel authorization does not guarantee your entry into the USA. The US border officer always has the last say. They decide if you can enter the United States and for how long. US border officers do not have to give you a reason for their decision.