New rules for visa waiver

[dsv77]

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 .

[Robert5988]

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.

[ujpest doza]

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

It says January 2009 though.,

[dsv77]

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

[Jill]

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

[ujpest doza]

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address where you are staying won't neccessarily be the same for each trip thereby rendering the initial registration out of date and irrelavent.

[Robert5988]

<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address where you are staying won't neccessarily be the same for each trip thereby rendering the initial registration out of date and irrelavent.[/quote]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'.

[ujpest doza]

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

[ujpest doza]

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

[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.