Renewing your ESTA

The ESTA is the perfect way to travel to the USA without having to request a visa from the US embassy. Here, we will explain what you need to do in order to renew your ESTA once it expires.

When you receive your ESTA authorisation, which is sent to you digitally within 24 hours of your request, you are granted travel to the USA for tourism or business purposes during a period of two years. Each individual trip cannot exceed a duration of 90 days, but you are free to travel multiple times during the two year validity of the document itself. Bear in mind, however, that this two year validity becomes void if your passport expires during this time. 

For clarification purposes, you do not need to renew your ESTA document after each trip to the USA. Your ESTA authorisation itself will clearly state the date on which your authorisation expires, so this is not necessarily something you need to worry about every time you travel to the States. Clearly, this is particularly beneficial for those who may be visiting the US regularly for business reasons. 

When your ESTA does come to expire, there is no formal renewal process, but rather you will have to fill out a new ESTA application which, again, will have a duration of two years. The good thing about this system is that you do not need to order a new ESTA as soon as it expires. Instead, you can wait until you are next planning a trip to the USA, following the expiration of the authorisation, before you fill out the application form once again. This means that your travel authorisation will be usable for a longer period of time, minimising the amount of times you have to reapply. 

The only other case whereby you would have to apply for a new ESTA is if the information you originally provided becomes invalid. For example, if you move house or change your name during the two year period, you would have to apply for a new ESTA. Essentially, all the information in your application must be true at the time of travel, so bear this in mind if you change your address or get married, for example.

Summer is just around the corner, so organise your documentation and get those flights booked!

Travelling to the United States? Do you have your pre-planning checklist in order? Visit our ESTA Guide for more information about obtaining your travel permit. We'd love to hear from you. Send us your comments or questions for travel assistance.

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