View Full Version : Visas you fill on plane
I heard you need to do it online is this true??
steph_goodrum
10-01-2009, 03:02
Paul and Fiona
It's not a visa you fill in online but if you are travelling to the States after 12th January this year and are using the Visa waiver system then you have to apply online (they recommend at least 72 hours before you travel). Most peoples will be approved instantly and you receive a number which is valid for 2 years or unitl your passport expires if that is sooner.
If you have a Visa you dont do anything online and fill in the white I 94 before landing the same as now.
The green form may still be being requested but according to the website after 12th when it is compulsory you shouldnt need to do that but it may continue for a while.
Thanks steph for reply. Is there a link to this site?
is the visa waiver the form you fill on the plane?
sorry for being atupid as i dont know what he forms are as my wife fills them in while i am sipping on drinks[msnwink]
We are flying on october.
The visa waiver is the green form you fill in on the plane. The blue and white one is the customs form.
Anychance that someone might have a link to this site to apply????
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Clare R
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
[/quote]
link not working [msnscared]
It's working fine for me Paul.
yes seems ok now...only lastnight it wasn't working....
does this cose us?
steph_goodrum
12-01-2009, 19:36
I assume you mean cost? in which case the answer is no at the moment it is free.
Florida2009
12-01-2009, 20:39
When do you have to give the number they give you? Does this mean when you get other end that you dont have to queue with green form for ages like last time? Is there anything to print out once you get accepted for proof etc?
Robert5988
12-01-2009, 20:55
You will still have to queue, the immigration officer will have your details on his screen(well that's the theory) You will need your registration number - just in case.
As of today you should not have to use the green visa waiver form(I-94W) although it seems that it isn't yet certain that everything will be working on their system and there might be a need to carry on using the I-94W for a while.
Presumably we will need to carry on using the blue customs declaration form.
Katys Grandad
12-01-2009, 21:58
I don't know if anybody was watching BBC Breakfast this morning but there was a representative from the US Embassy on. He was saying that both systems would continue side by side for a while.
He was directly asked what would happen if somebody turned up to fly and hadn't been aware of the need to register. He seemed to skirt around the point and unfortunately wasn't pressed on the point by the presenter.
steph_goodrum
13-01-2009, 01:19
It does say on the website that they recommend you apply at least 72 hours in advance and that failure to register MAY delay your immigration process on arrival.
Katys Grandad
13-01-2009, 01:31
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
It does say on the website that they recommend you apply at least 72 hours in advance and that failure to register MAY delay your immigration process on arrival.
[/quote]
That's just as vague.
The real question is whether you can even board the flight without having registered. I personally doubt it but who knows? I can't help thinking that this has happened many times today so we might have an answer in tomorrow's press.
Elderly friends of ours saw the item on the news today and asked "What happens if you dont know how to go online or do not have a computer?" I presume the flight ticket agen would help in those circumstances.
Robert5988
13-01-2009, 15:45
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Elderly friends of ours saw the item on the news today and asked "What happens if you dont know how to go online or do not have a computer?" I presume the flight ticket agen would help in those circumstances[/quote]
I think that is covered in the website's FAQ.
You have to get friends/agent/library etc to do it for you.
I suspect, certainly initially, the Airline will be able to do it for you at check-in, but they wouldn't give that a lot of publicity.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
I suspect, certainly initially, the Airline will be able to do it for you at check-in, but they wouldn't give that a lot of publicity.
[/quote]They recommend that it's done at least 72 hours before check-in so I'm not sure how that would work?
steph_goodrum
13-01-2009, 16:40
The people who booked their ticket should ensure they know about this and apply for them if they go to the agent. If they didnt book their ticket online then I'm guessing they would use the travel agent.
My friend has always had to do this with flights to Australia, they apply for the Visa on your behalf and it costs about £10 and is returned a few days later.
It will just mean your friends going to the agent with their passports (unless you help them at home). After all if they have the werewithall to get the ticket then it should be straightforward enough for them.
Robert5988
13-01-2009, 23:11
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<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
I suspect, certainly initially, the Airline will be able to do it for you at check-in, but they wouldn't give that a lot of publicity.
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They recommend that it's done at least 72 hours before check-in so I'm not sure how that would work?
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Blott[/quote] The 72 hours is a recommendation. However there are bound to be people who need to go with virtually no notice, e.g. parents whose child has be injured etc
Similarly there are bound to be people who haven't registered because they simply were not aware - it hasn't rec'd that much publicity. Also there will be Brits living abroad in a country not eligble for Visa waiver who will not have heard of ESTA
I suspect, that they won't turn these people away but that there are contingency plans for 'emergency' clearance.
I have to confess, these days, I wouldn't entirely trust US bureaucracy to use a lot of common sense. I love America, but I wouldn't want to make a mistake over this. I can see lots of people heading home on the next flight. Maybe I'm a pessimist.
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Elderly friends of ours saw the item on the news today and asked "What happens if you dont know how to go online or do not have a computer?" I presume the flight ticket agen would help in those circumstances[/quote]I think that is covered in the website's FAQ.
You have to get friends/agent/library etc to do it for you.
I suspect, certainly initially, the Airline will be able to do it for you at check-in, but they wouldn't give that a lot of publicity.
[/quote]
The agent systems at check-in are private closed networks usually provided by SITA or some other service provider. It's unlikely they'd have access to the internet.<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
Also there will be Brits living abroad in a country not eligble for Visa waiver who will not have heard of ESTA
I suspect, that they won't turn these people away but that there are contingency plans for 'emergency' clearance.[/quote]Robert, visa waiver is dependant upon the passport you hold, not your country of residence. If you hold a British passport it doesn't matter which country you live in, you are still eligible for the visa waiver scheme. Don't forget too that ESTA applies to all visa waiver countries, not just the UK...from what I've seen it's been given a lot more publicity in other countries.[EDIT] upon re-reading this I see the point you're making..if they live in a country not eligible for ESTA, they might not have seen the publicity...true, but their carrier should still make sure they are aware, regardless of where they are flying from.
But I agree with you on the contingency plans. Despite the British Foreign Office claiming people would be 'refused entry and deported' if they hadn't applied for ESTA 72 hours in advance, I can't see that happening practically, certainly not in the first couple of weeks.
What will be interesting is the airlines reaction to this once the ESTA scheme has been running for a couple of weeks. Previously the carriers were responsible for checking the immigration documentation of passengers prior to flying them to USA, and they were also responsible for the cost of repatriation if those documents were shown to be invalid on arrival. Now they have no way of verifying that a passenger has requested and received ESTA authorisation, so I doubt very much they will fly the passenger back at their expense if it proves they didn't get the authorisation and the US won't let them in.
Katys Grandad
14-01-2009, 13:12
Hopefully it won't be long until we have some first hand experiences of this process but, at the moment, it's far from clear what the situation is.
would be interesting to hear from anyone who has used this and if there is any change to the normal scenario of queeing up at customs with the green slip. did anyone get dragged oaway to the naughty step for not filling in the esta
Katys Grandad
12-02-2009, 09:05
I think the most common experience is that, at the moment, it's hard to tell the difference. A friend of mine didn't fill in the waiver thinking that it wasn't needed. When he reached the desk the Immigration Officer gave him the forms and waited while he filled them in.
My own experience of US Immigration Officers is that, like society as a whole, they are a mixed bag so absolutely no guarantee another on would do the same.[msnwink]
A friend has recently flown from the UK to Miami. She completed the ESTA online and also had to fill the green Visa Waiver form in on the plane. She was told this is because it was her first trip using the ESTA - subsequent trips will mean that she doesn't have to complete the green form.
We have recently returned from a visit to Orlando and although we had completed the ESTA we still had to fill in the green cards, were told they would run side by side for a while. The girl at the Virgin check in desk asked if we had completed our ESTA, it was never mentioned by anyone else.
We flew to Vegas in March and having completed our ESTA's still had to do the green visa waiver form on the plane.
When we checked in at Gatwick (Virgin), we were asked "have you completed your ESTA's?"
Didn't have to show any paperwork in US. Just hand over the passport, visa waiver form and then the usual fingerprints and eye photo.
We flew in on May 2nd and still had to do the green visa waiver form, which were supplied by Virgin at check-in time. The form appears to have changed slightly in the questions asked - I cannot previously recall having to enter the date my passport was issued, only when it expires, but maybe that's just my brain. But some definitely have changed - two of the questions relate to a visa (where and when was your visa issued) which, as the form is a visa waiver form, is a bit pointless. We asked the immigration guy about ESTA and he just shrugged and said "Your guess is as good as mine"
Also the finger-printing was a bit odd. Some desks had the old "single finger" scanners and people were just asked for left index, right index. Other desks (inclduing the one we used) had the newer scanners with larger scan area. But even here there is no consistency. My wife and I went to the desk together, and she was asked to scan only her right four fingers. Me, I had to scan all 10.
I honestly don't think the immigration officers themselves know what's really going on, let alone anyone else.
pieman790
05-05-2009, 02:18
We flew into Houston in April 09 and had to fill in the same Green Visa forms as well as the ESTA online forms
The Bodger
15-05-2009, 00:24
Travelled to Florida on 26th April. Did ESTA online but still had to fill out green visa waiver form on plane as they said ESTA is not up and running yet.But don't go without doing it online as it might be working when any body else goes. There is some mistakes on the visa waiver form they give you on the plane but they did'nt tell us that till we nearly got there and had them filled in.One is 'city where visa issued' you leave this blank.
Robert5988
15-05-2009, 01:59
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:There is some mistakes on the visa waiver form they give you on the plane but they did'nt tell us that till we nearly got there and had them filled in.One is 'city where visa issued' you leave this blank.[/quote]
Unless there have been changes on the Visa waiver form there is no such question! see copy of form here.
http://www.orlando-guide.info/forums/topic_14753_3.asp
Are you sure you were not filling in the form for those with a Visa?
Dads_Taxi
15-05-2009, 02:19
I'll back Bodger up, that question was most definitely on the green visa waiver forms we were given by US Airways at beginning of April. I did realise it should be left blank though!
The most recent green form I completed (at the end of April) had the question about where my visa was issued in the place where they would normally ask which city you had boarded the plane in. There was also a space for entering an email address - that's not been there before!
Robert5988
15-05-2009, 13:34
It appears that they have changed the form then.
It seems strange that there is a question about the issue of a Visa on a Visa waiver form???
I wonder if it is a misprint on a batch.
Katys Grandad
15-05-2009, 14:57
I noticed the e-mail address box when I flew a few weeks ago. I think I'm right in saying that it was asking for an e-mail where you could be contacted where you were staying in the US so I'd be surprised if all that many people could actually supply that.
We flew from Newcastle on May 10th with Thomson, still had the Visa Waiver forms to complete in-flight but no email question on them.
And (yet again) no Premium cabin on the return flight, so 2 weeks of wet weather and now covered in bruises after being sardined into about 30" :(
Robert5988
10-06-2009, 22:20
Flew yesterday from Manchester and the Waiver form(I94W) handed out at the desk was the 'old' style(dated10/04) with no question about 'where was the Visa issued/email address'.
The same old style was given out on the plane(AA) and there was a pile at immigration that were also the same.
So I assume that the batch people have seen(see above) were a mistake and have been withdrawn?????
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
Flew yesterday from Manchester and the Waiver form(I94W) handed out at the desk was the 'old' style(dated10/04) with no question about 'where was the Visa issued/email address'.
The same old style was given out on the plane(AA) and there was a pile at immigration that were also the same.
So I assume that the batch people have seen(see above) were a mistake and have been withdrawn?????
[/quote]
Robert who did you fly with? We flew from Manchester with Virgin in May and got the 'new' style forms handed out at the check-in desk and on the plane itself. As you say it's possible Virgin handed these out by mistake and have now corrected it.
Robert5988
11-06-2009, 13:37
I flew with AA.
I doubt if it was a 'Virgin mistake'!! Keith as I believe Katys Grandad usually flies AA or BA and he had one of the new variety.
I assumed the new form was an error because you would not have applied for a Visa if travelling on a waiver.
Albert the Frog
11-06-2009, 14:18
We recently flew via Chicago and because we dawdle we were the only ones at immigration(i kid you not)-as a result we were chatting to the IO and he said that the two systems would run in tandem for 2 more weeks-from 24th May-so if he's correct the green cards should be dropped any time now-anybody got any bang up to date news?
Katys Grandad
11-06-2009, 20:42
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Robert5988
I flew with AA.
I doubt if it was a 'Virgin mistake'!! Keith as I believe Katys Grandad usually flies AA or BA and he had one of the new variety.
[/quote]
I do indeed Robert and will be on AA this weekend.
I think that I collected the form at check-in at Heathrow on the occasion I mentioned above. I'll see what I get on Saturday and report back!
Katys Grandad
15-06-2009, 17:28
Form handed out during the AA flight (LHR-JFK). It had the e-mail and phone number request which I left blank. No problems.