The only official place to apply for an ESTA is https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection site. The fee on its home page is $40.62 per application (read 5 November 2026). An approved ESTA lasts up to two years, or until your passport expires, and allows stays of 90 days or less. We read all three on 15 October 2026.
Where to apply and what it costs
Note: The FTC says: "The only place to apply is through the ESTA website or app," and lists the official site as esta.cbp.dhs.gov (FTC consumer alert "How to avoid scams while applying for ESTA", 11 Mar 2026, read 15 Oct 2026)
Note: CBP's release of 21 Jun 2023 says: "Download the free ESTA mobile app from the App Store (Apple) or the Google Play Store (Android)." The store listing names were not read by us beyond that release (CBP news release, read 15 Oct 2026)
Price: The fee is $40.62. The official FAQ says it "has increased from $40.27 to $40.62" and that CBP's systems were scheduled to collect the new amount from 16 October 2026. It has three parts: a $10.62 operational fee, the $17 travel promotion fee and a $13 Treasury General Fund fee. The home page lists MasterCard, VISA, American Express, Discover (JCB or Diners Club only) and PayPal (official ESTA FAQ and home page, read in a browser 5 Nov 2026)
Note: In October 2026 the help text said a denied applicant pays only the processing part. We did not re-read that line after the 16 October change, so how much a denied applicant pays now is not confirmed (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)
The fee can change again. Check the amount on the payment screen before you pay.
How far ahead to apply
Note: CBP says you can apply "at any time prior to travel" and recommends applying "as soon as they begin preparing travel plans or prior to purchasing airline tickets" (CBP, ESTA page, last modified 10 Jul 2025, read 15 Oct 2026)
The official site says you do not need confirmed travel plans. You do need a US point of contact, and it recommends the address where you will stay. It also warns that the State Department cannot guarantee next-day visa appointments, so it encourages travelers to apply far in advance. We found no minimum number of hours on the official pages we read. Not confirmed: a fixed decision time.
How long an ESTA lasts and how long you can stay
Note: "Unless revoked, travel authorizations are valid for two years from the date of authorization, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first." The approval is good for multiple entries. "Receiving ESTA authorization does not mean you may stay in the U.S. for two years." The Visa Waiver Program allows 90 days or less at a time (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)
A new ESTA is needed if you get a new passport, change your name, your country of citizenship changes, or your answers to the yes or no questions change. Each new application pays the fee again. An ESTA cannot be extended. If it expires while you are in the US, the site says that does not affect your departure.
CBP says an ESTA is not a visa and does not promise entry. A CBP officer at the port of entry decides. See our list of which countries can use ESTA and who is barred.
Step by step
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Open esta.cbp.dhs.gov or the ESTA mobile app. Pick "Individual Application". The site says the average time to complete it is 23 minutes.
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Enter your details. The site lists basic biographic information, your passport and any other passports, an email address that must be verified, your employer, your US address and point of contact, an emergency contact, and payment details. It says you will answer nine security questions.
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Review your answers. The site says you can edit before you submit.
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Save your application number. It arrives by email after you verify your email. The application is still unpaid at this point.
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Pay. Tick the disclaimer and enter your card or PayPal details. The site says you can pay for a single application within 7 days of submitting it. After that, you must submit a new one.
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Check the result. See the next section.
A group of travelers can use the group option. The site says every traveler needs their own approval, regardless of age.
How to check your ESTA status
Note: Go to the ESTA homepage, select "Check ESTA Status" and then "Check Individual Status". You need your passport number, date of birth and application number. The three answers are "Authorization Approved", "Travel Not Authorized" and "Authorization Pending". Pending means the review is not finished and "does not indicate negative findings" (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)
Details you enter to look up an application must match the application exactly. Otherwise you may see "No Application Found". The FTC gives the status page as esta.cbp.dhs.gov/individualStatusLookup and the CBP Traveler Communications Center number as 1-202-325-8000.
What to do if your ESTA is denied
Note: "The denial of a travel authorization only prohibits travel under the Visa Waiver Program and is not a determination of eligibility for a visa." If your circumstances have not changed, "a new application will also be denied." Reapplying with false information makes the traveler "permanently ineligible for travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program" (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)
The site says embassies and consulates cannot give the reason for an ESTA denial or fix it. A visa application is the way to travel. The site points to a DHS redress program, DHS TRIP, and says it does not guarantee a fix. The State Department's visa pages are at travel.state.gov. Its site blocked our tools, so we did not read the visa steps or fee. Not confirmed.
Unofficial ESTA sites that charge extra
Note: The FTC says "fake sites" may overcharge and might not submit your application, so you do not get the authorization. It says the fee is nonrefundable, and that any site that charges more, promises a refund or asks for another payment method is a scam. The official site accepts credit cards, debit cards and PayPal (FTC consumer alert, 11 Mar 2026, read 15 Oct 2026)
Note: The official ESTA site says "a number of third parties" charge a fee to submit an application for you. It suggests using your application number to confirm that your ESTA is in the official system. It says CBP "cannot refund the money you paid" to those sites (CBP, official ESTA site help text, read 15 Oct 2026)
Check the address bar says esta.cbp.dhs.gov before you type anything. The FTC asks people to report ESTA scams at ReportFraud.ftc.gov.
ESTA for Canada and ESTA for the UK
ESTA is a US system. It is not a way into Canada or the UK.
CBP's page notes that Canada has its own eTA for visa-exempt foreign nationals flying to Canada. Citizens of Canada with a Canadian passport do not need an ESTA to enter the US, per the official ESTA site. Canadians who live in or visit the US by land also do not need one.
For the UK, DHS lists the United Kingdom as a Visa Waiver country only for British citizens with an unrestricted right of permanent abode. Passports marked British Overseas Citizen, British Subject and similar do not qualify. Going the other way, US citizens visiting the UK need a UK ETA.
What we checked and what can change
Read in a browser on 5 November 2026: the official ESTA home page and FAQ for the $40.62 fee, its three parts and the 16 October 2026 start date. Read on 15 October 2026: the help text of the official ESTA site (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/) for the fee, validity, steps, status and denial; CBP's ESTA page (last modified 10 July 2025) and Visa Waiver Program page (last modified 12 November 2024); CBP's news release on the ESTA mobile app (21 June 2023); and the FTC consumer alert of 11 March 2026. In our content review the same day we re-opened the ESTA help text in a browser and checked the fee lines, the 1 January 2026 date, the validity text and the 23 minute figure against the page.
Not confirmed: a fixed processing time, a minimum number of hours to apply before flying, the exact app store listing names, and the State Department's visa steps and fee. Canada's and the UK's own entry rules are on our separate pages. We did not submit an ESTA application for this page. The fee and rules can change, so read the payment screen and the help text the day you apply.
