GUWonder

With most UK passports for most visits to the US, an ESTA is only needed if coming by air or sea. If arriving by land to US ports of entry, ESTA not needed.

Professor Yaffle

A couple of months back I realised at 7am prior to a noon VS flight to SF that my ESTA had expired. I completed it there and then but was refused check in at T3 until it came through (which it did at 10.30, meaning a very rushed clubhouse brekker). It was quite a funny sight around the VS customer service desk at T3 - at least 10 people hunched over their laptops all pressing F5 every few seconds depsarately hoping for a change in status.

Whilst waiting I tried to call the US ESTA helpline for advice - the biggest waste of £30 for a phone call ever...

I am amazed there isnt a more joined up process between the airlines and the ESTA processors, as this is happening 100's of times a day at T3 alone. Must be a major hassle for the airlines (though they probably see it as a revenue earner...)

lcylocal

An ESTA can be used though if you wish.

I have done it once and would probably err towards getting an ESTA if doing it again, particularly if I thought there was any chance I would want to visit the USA again within the validity.

The I-94W still costs $6 and you have to faff around paying it at the border.

Tiger_lily

As said upthread, the fact that they’ve stopped sending out the expiration emails seems to be at the root of a lot of this kerfuffle.

allturnleft

Beware those emails that tell you your ESTA has expired from external agencies. I had this once ; I ended up payimg over the odds and my ESTA hadn’t expired !

origin

The safest way of doing things

I sent my by royal mail to the main passport office. I thought all was fine.

I included the form, my old passport and pics as the usual process.

A couple of weeks later I received a letter from passport office asking me to fill out the form correctly, send in some pics and enclose my passport.

My passport had being intercepted by someone

I still dont know what they have gained from my passport.

SWISSBOBBY

I did have a panic after looking at this thread yesterday, just went to check my ESTA had been done with all the correct values not mistypes

Came back no ESTA found

Turned out I had mistyped my passport number on the check ESTA query page and correctly in my initial submissions

SB