New rules for visa waiver

Hi ,
I have just read on another Forum [ not conected with florida] that it is expected that there will be an announcment today from Homeland security that any visitor from the Western Europian will have to fill in a visa waiver form online with the U.S embassy no later than 72 hours prior to departure . Has anyone else heard this news ? it is supposed to start in January 2009 .
I think it will make things easier for some , but not all as it will mean the end of taking advantage of lastminute cheap flights .

A US reporter this morning said that it will start in October.

You register on-line that you intend to use a Visa waiver for entry(it is not the visa waiver itself)

Apparently once registered on line it lasts for 2 years. He then went on about the purpose being to give advance notice of 'known people of interest' like the 'Shoe Bomber'(Richard Reid?)

This presumably is the outcome of the Electronic Travel Authorisation(ETA) program that was scheduled to come in by the end of 2008.

I can see half an article on The Wall Street Journal online but not the full article.

It says January 2009 though.,

Does any one know which the website address that will have to be used for this ?

Here is the link to the article in the FT which explains it in more detail,

http://www.ft.com/cms/s/2/2a8dbbfe-3...,print=no.html

The bit i don't understand is this.

If you do it once and its then valid for 2 years for as many trips as you like, then why does it say you need only enter what you would normally put on the I-94 Visa Waiver Form?

IE what i'm driving at is the address where you are staying won't neccessarily be the same for each trip thereby rendering the initial registration out of date and irrelavent.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:The bit i don't understand is this.

If you do it once and its then valid for 2 years for as many trips as you like, then why does it say you need only enter what you would normally put on the I-94 Visa Waiver Form?

IE what i'm driving at is the address where you are staying won't neccessarily be the same for each trip thereby rendering the initial registration out of date and irrelavent.[/quote]

We will have to wait for the detailed instructions.

However the information they are interested in is the personal details of the passenger - name, dob, UK address. passport No etc etc.

The details of where you say you intend to stay in the USA are presumably not important - after all the 'shoe bomber' didn't intend to stay anywhere.

They actually have most of those details from the aircraft manifest already, except they only have a few hours to act on that information and make enquiries on 'persons of interest'.

Here is a link to a power poin presentation showing the new online forms and what to do with them.

http://www.cbp.gov/linkhandler/cgov/...ol_preview.ppt

That link comes from here http://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/

You will have to update the address each time you visit unless you are staying at the same place apparently.
the first time you do it you will receive an ESTA number which the airlines will require before you fly and this is the numer (once you have received approval) which SHOULD provided everything is straightforward be issued vitually instantly once they have reviewed your infor. Then when travelling you will not need to fill in the green form on the plane once it is full yoperational.
you can reigster voluntarily from 1st Aug this year but from (12th?) January 2009 it will be compulsory , at the moment registration is free but they are expecting to bring in a charge ($10 has been mentioned) at a later date.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by steph_goodrum
You will have to update the address each time you visit unless you are staying at the same place apparently.
the first time you do it you will receive an ESTA number which the airlines will require before you fly and this is the numer (once you have received approval) which SHOULD provided everything is straightforward be issued vitually instantly once they have reviewed your infor. Then when travelling you will not need to fill in the green form on the plane once it is full yoperational.
you can reigster voluntarily from 1st Aug this year but from (12th?) January 2009 it will be compulsory , at the moment registration is free but they are expecting to bring in a charge ($10 has been mentioned) at a later date.
[/quote]Apparently not :

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Authorities claim to have ironed out glitches in its new system that went live last week on a voluntary basis. A fault that barred anyone from registering who had a passport with more than 10 years validity has now been fixed.



ESTA lasts for two years and has the advantage that travellers do not need to change their destination information each time they visit the US, as this is covered by the APIS system. Last-minute travellers will be able to get ESTAs at airports, but are advised to apply at least 72 hours in advance.



Officials stress that in an emergency, approval can be granted very quickly.

[/quote]http://www.abtn.co.uk/US_border_cont...remain_for_now

That was something that has been unclear on all of the info so far so at least it appears to be clarified and hopefully make life easier when we dont have to fill in the green card on the way.

Had the following information through at work this morning from our travel departement.
Vasl

Important changes to U.S. Visa Waiver Program
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has announced the implementation of the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), which will begin to accept voluntary applications starting on August 1, 2008. ESTA is a new fully automated, electronic system for screening passengers before they begin travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel to the United States, and travellers are encouraged to apply for authorisation as soon as they begin to plan a trip to the United States.

Currently, citizens of the 27 VWP countries complete a written I-94W form providing basic biographical, travel, and eligibility information while en-route to the U.S. With ESTA, VWP travellers will provide this information online prior to departure for the U.S.

Once ESTA is mandatory, all nationals or citizens of the visa waiver countries who plan to travel to the United States for temporary business or pleasure under the VWP will need to receive an electronic travel authorisation prior to boarding a U.S.-bound airplane or cruise ship.

Until ESTA is mandatory for all VWP travellers, however, ESTA applicants will also still need to complete an I-94W form en-route, for presentation at a U.S. port of entry. The Secretary of Homeland Security is anticipated to publish a notice in the Federal Register by mid-November 2008, announcing implementation of mandatory ESTA requirements on January 12, 2009.

Useful websites:
· More about ESTA - http://www.cbp.gov/xp/cgov/travel/id_visa/
· More information about the Visa Waiver Program - www.usembassy.org.uk/cons_new/visa/niv/vwp.html

Visa waiver countries include: Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium Brunei, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.

So is it worth, or helpful, to register now as we're going next week?
( [clap] )Do you have to register all individually as you do with the visa waiver forms or one for the group?

I registered and my approval to travel came back instantly

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by sammibabe
So is it worth, or helpful, to register now as we're going next week?
( [clap] )Do you have to register all individually as you do with the visa waiver forms or one for the group?[/quote]They have to be done individually as with the current visa waiver forms.

Mo

What I find rather strange about the system is that it asks you which airport you are leaving from, the Airline and Flight No - but not the date you are travelling.

So I have permission to travel to the USA from Manchester, with American Airlines on Flight No AA55 at any time over the next 2 years.

I have looked at one of the links above and I do not see any benefit to registering for this trip as I will still have to fill out a handful of greenies! It is valid for 2 years but we will probably not be able to return before it is out of date[msnsad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:So I have permission to travel to the USA from Manchester, with American Airlines on Flight No AA55 at any time over the next 2 years.
[/quote]
Flight details are one of the things that you can update online without submitting a new application:

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/WebHel...%20I%20update?

Hi

We are travelling next May and was going to complete the form online last night but got stuck at the address we are stay at in Orlando. We have rented a villa and at this point only know the name of the Villa and area it is in. I could contact the owner for the full address but I am sure when I booked my flights with Thomas Cook they said that they will give me their Orlando address to give as our contact address in the US, does this seem right?

Any help would appreciated.

Thanks

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:We are travelling next May and was going to complete the form online last night but got stuck at the address we are stay at in Orlando. We have rented a villa and at this point only know the name of the Villa and area it is in. I could contact the owner for the full address but I am sure when I booked my flights with Thomas Cook they said that they will give me their Orlando address to give as our contact address in the US, does this seem right?[/quote]

There is no hurry at all to complete the form and many people will have it done at the airport check-in desk - not everyone is on the internet or will have heard of ESTA.

You can wait until you have the address of the Villa

Apparently flight and address details are covered by the advance passenger info you have to give the airlines so you can go ahead and fill it in but leave any travel details (including flights out. They are suggesting you fill it in as soon as you plan a trip to the States.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Apparently flight and address details are covered by the advance passenger info you have to give the airlines so you can go ahead and fill it in but leave any travel details (including flights out. They are suggesting you fill it in as soon as you plan a trip to the States.[/quote]

Steph,
What is not clear to me is the position on future trips.

I have filled in the form giving the flight details for my next trip and the address where I will be staying.

I have had clearance to travel for the next 2 years with a registration number etc.

However I will be going on another trip later this year, and lots more over the next 2 years. Obviously the Flight No and address I am staying at could be different.

Whilst I will still obviously have to fill in the advance passenger info to the airline each time I travel, what is the position for ESTA?

There doesn't seem to be any provision for re-entering flight numbers and addresses for future trips.

The airlines after Jan 12th will have to supply (as you will) your ESTA number along with the Advance passenger info so between the 2 pieces of info they will have all they need. As they will have your general info from the ESTA and each time you fly they have your ESTA number (which will be valid for 2 years) and the APIS info which you will update with the airline for each trip which will include your flight details and airport and address etc.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:The airlines after Jan 12th will have to supply (as you will) your ESTA number along with the Advance passenger info so between the 2 pieces of info they will have all they need. As they will have your general info from the ESTA and each time you fly they have your ESTA number (which will be valid for 2 years) and the APIS info which you will update with the airline for each trip which will include your flight details and airport and address etc.[/quote]

We are at cross-purposes I am afraid.

I appreciate what you say above is what will happen.

The point I was making is that to get my ESTA number it was mandatory to supply my departure airport in UK, my airline and flight number, and my destination address in the USA.

For my subsequent trips that information will be different, indeed if I now have to cancel my forthcoming trip it will be different, so what is the relevance of supplying that information?

As said above I have been given a ESTA number for an AA flight from Manchester to an address in Florida. I might well be travelling from, say, Paris on Air France to stay at an address in California.

Robert
What I was trying to explain is that you can obtain your ESTA number with no flight details entered from what other people have told me, if you have no definite arrangements yet you dont need to fill it in. The advice itself says yu should fill it in as soon as you anticipate you may travel to the US at which point most people wont have made definite plans and should get a number allocated.
I'm leaving mine for a couple of weeks purely as my daughter is in the US at the moment so will wait till she gets back at teh end of the month to fill all ours in together. I'll try doing it without putting in our flight details and let you know what happens.

I dont think we are talking at crossed purposes, as you said for subsequent trips the information given will be different but they have thee info for the first trip IF you have it when you apply, after that the updates will be done through APIS in the same way the info for the first trip will if you dont know the details when you book.

Well, I completed this all online before departure, got the approval numbers etc.

Still had to complete green cards and hand them in at immigration. I asked the Virgin staff was it necessary since I had already done it online, but they had no idea what I was talking about. The immigration officer didn't mention it or ask about it.

I'm a bit puzzled.

Tonish
All the info says that until it becomes mandatory on 12th Jan 2009 youu still have to fill in the green form but after that date wont have to.

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Tonish
Well, I completed this all online before departure, got the approval numbers etc.

Still had to complete green cards and hand them in at immigration. I asked the Virgin staff was it necessary since I had already done it online, but they had no idea what I was talking about. The immigration officer didn't mention it or ask about it.

I'm a bit puzzled.
[/quote]

My son arrived in Florida yesterday and said more or less the same, immigration didn't want to know and were only interested in the information on the green card.