How much does the ESTA cost?

Do you want to travel to the USA using an ESTA authorization? This administrative process is very simple and allows a large number of travelers to go to the United States to live the American dream at a lower cost.

You are a national of a member country of the Visa Waiver Program (visa waiver program) and wish to transit on American soil or make a business trip or tourist stay by air or sea for a period of 90 days maximum, with a valid biometric passport (or electronic passport)? If you meet all of these eligibility criteria, the ESTA is the document you need for your stay in the USA.

Thanks to the ESTA, you can have a dream tourist stay in the American state of your choice such as North Carolina, Florida, Louisiana, etc. We reveal below the basic price of an ESTA France USA and the additional costs that may be added in the event of assistance.

A free ESTA that has become paying for going to the USA

Traveling to the United States is more complex than traveling to a Schengen country and travel authorization is required. The latter can take the form of an American visa to be requested from the United States Embassy or an ESTA to be requested via an online form. Foreign nationals seeking a temporary stay in the USA for tourism or business purposes can apply for an ESTA. It is the same for a stopover.

When it was created, the ESTA authorization (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) was free. The American authorities, however, backtracked by quickly making the ESTA chargeable. Recall that the ESTA is a security measure put in place within the framework of the VWP in order to strengthen American internal security. It allows the selection of travelers even before their arrival on American territory.

The cost of an ESTA to enter the United States

The cost of a U.S. ESTA may vary depending on the platform you choose to order it from. But in all cases, its period of validity is two years, from the moment you receive the agreement of the American authorities (provided that your passport has a period of validity greater than or equal to this period).

The basic price of an ESTA

When you apply on the official US government website, you’ll find that the cost of an ESTA United States has been $21 since May 2022. This price is fixed and does not change from country to country.

The ESTA fee is divided into two parts: a $4 administrative fee for the electronic systems and a $17 acceptance fee that is donated to promote U.S. tourism internationally.

If you need to make a new ESTA application following the obtaining of a new passport, a change in your personal information or following the expiration of your ESTA, the applicable rate remains the same. The same applies if your authorization request has been refused due to an input error. Make sure your ESTA is linked to a valid passport: the validity of your ESTA depends on the passport used (passport number).

Is the ESTA still the same price?

As mentioned earlier, the cost of the ESTA depends on how you order it. You may, in fact, prefer to go through a private site to make your ESTA request. This choice is generally based on the desire to reduce the risk of error by delegating the order to a team of professionals. Of course, the verification of your data, the sending of the ESTA form and the provision of an agent to answer your questions has a cost.

What about the US visa, is it cheaper than ESTA?

Whether you order on the US government site or on a private site for your trip to the United States, you will notice that the price of an ESTA is much more advantageous than that of a USA visa.

An application for a b2 tourist visa requires a large number of supporting documents, an interview with a consular officer of the U.S. Embassy (or Consulate), a waiting period of varying length and a minimum of $185.

ESTA does not require proof, nor waiting (response within 72 hours), nor travel (online request) and its price is much more attractive than that of a visa application for a stay in the United States. However, if the ESTA is refused, you will have no choice but to apply for a USA visa in order to travel to the United States.