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The US Government will charge a fee for the US ESTA Visa from 9 September.
09 August 2010
New fee for US ESTA Visa to be introduced in September
The US Government will start charging British travellers a fee for the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), which allows tourists to enter the country.
The compulsory US ESTA Visa lasts for two years and people who already have a valid ESTA will not have to purchase another until the current one expires.
From 9 September, visitors to the US will have to pay the government $14 for a US ESTA. The fee will be used to cover visa processing as well as to help fund US tourism promotion.
The ESTA scheme was introduced in January 2009 but was only made mandatory for travellers from January 2010. It applies to all 35 countries with US visa waiver status.
The US ESTA Visa can take up to 72 hours to be approved but most people should receive approval within a few minutes.
Travellers without a valid US ESTA Visa will not be allowed to board flights to the US.
Around four million Britons visit the US each year.
The American Visa Bureau is an independent consulting company specialising in helping people make US ESTA Visa applications to the American Embassy.
