Very confused, Havent travelled since 2006!

[Epic]

Hi all

We havent booked our holiday yet, we are looking at doing that in March for september time so im not in a blind panic yet about all this, but having just come into this thread i have become very confused with how things seem to of changed since i last travelled in 2006. I am used to just having a passport and then filling in the green forms on the plane. It looks like all that is different now? What do i have to do now, do i need a special visa? I also have an expired passport that needs updating but was planning on doing that when i book, does that influence any visa's or anything? Sorry for my ignorance on all this it just feels like forever since we travelled and all these threads on the same matter are confusing. Thanks

[ellie]

Hello, Epic and welcome back!

You are right that things have changed - those pesky green forms are no more! I well remember that on the only occassion my husband allowed me to fill them in I made a mistake which resulted in us being sent to the back of the queue and losing another half hour. He was not a happy bunny!

The good news is that now all you need to do is an ESTA application and this can be done online. There is a small charge for this ($14) but it lasts for 2 years, so I would suggest that you make your application about a couple of weeks before you are due to go, to ensure that it is all up and running in good time. You must do it at least 72 hours before you go. It does make the whole process of immigration a lot faster when you arrive in the USA. This is the official website.

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta

There are other websites around which purport to be 'official' but charge you considerably more than the proper one, so watch out. Also, travel agents may offer to do it for you but will charge you more.

It is very simple to do so take a look at the website.

You will need to renew your passport, but again, it will be one of the modern biometric ones with a 'chip' in it which means it will be quicker when you return to the UK. We were able to use the special 'do-it-yourself' booths at Gatwick in November which saved a lot of time. These ePassport gates enable EU passengers with biometric passports to get through passport control much more speedily. The gates use facial recognition technology to compare your face with the photograph on the chip in your passport. Once this check has been made and accepted the gates open automatically and you are on your way.

Good luck and if you have any more questions just ask away!

[DaveL]

You now fill in the 'green' form online before you get on the plane. In theory if the form has not been completed and agreed then you will be refused boarding on the plane.

The form is now called an ESTA and there are a number of threads explaining all about it. One of the questions on the ESTA is what is your passport number. So no passport means no ESTA.

Given that the passport office can become very busy later in the year I would get it done sooner rather than later.

Regards Dave

[Sandra M]

You can have a look at the Esta website just to familiarise yourself with it and then wait until a bit nearer to travel date to maximise the use of it in case you go back within the next 2 years but you can't apply for the Esta without a current passport as all the informationis needed to fill in the Esta.

It's very straightforward and I'm sure you will be absolutely fine

Sandra

[SDJ]

I just renewed my Passport and it took 5 days. I paid the £3 for the Post Office to check it out and bingo!!

[Floyd]

Hi, newbie here. Great site btw and I wished I'd found it earlier...

I'm going out to Florida at Easter on Air Canada via Toronto and Montreal (there and back), but what I'm not sure about is whether I need visa's for the connecting flights in Canada???

Help!

[Epic]

Thank you very much everyone, you have made me feel easier about all of that now. It isnt as scary as i thought and it sounds like it makes travelling that little bit more easy which is good. Now the only problem is continuing to save so that i can book this pesky holiday ;-)

[Jill]

Hi, newbie here. Great site btw and I wished I'd found it earlier...

I'm going out to Florida at Easter on Air Canada via Toronto and Montreal (there and back), but what I'm not sure about is whether I need visa's for the connecting flights in Canada???

Help!

If you are a British Citizen you do not need a visa to transit or enter Canada for a holiday. This is the link for the Canadian Government's Citizen and Immigration advice http://www.cic.gc.ca/english/visit/visas.asp#exemptions