ESTA expiry date - quick question for a British family travelling to the US
Jul 16, 2016, 4:03 am
#1
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Join Date: Jul 2008
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ESTA expiry date - quick question for a British family travelling to the US
Me, my wife, our near-three year old and 10-month old baby are all flying to Denver from London on 2 August, due to land around 6pm in the evening.
Aside from our baby, the three of us have ESTA's from a trip two years ago which expire on 3 August this year.
So - obviously I need to buy an ESTA for the baby - but do I need to for the three of us? Saving $45 would be nice given how much this holiday is costing us thanks to the £/$ rate, but my question is:
* Does the ESTA need to be valid for the whole 14-day stay in the US, or just for the day of arrival?
* If the latter, am I cutting it too fine to arrive at 6pm on the day of expiry (i.e. if we were heavily delayed, and didn't land in the US until after midnight, could I have a big problem)?
Advice appreciated.
Should I just play safe?
Aside from our baby, the three of us have ESTA's from a trip two years ago which expire on 3 August this year.
So - obviously I need to buy an ESTA for the baby - but do I need to for the three of us? Saving $45 would be nice given how much this holiday is costing us thanks to the £/$ rate, but my question is:
* Does the ESTA need to be valid for the whole 14-day stay in the US, or just for the day of arrival?
* If the latter, am I cutting it too fine to arrive at 6pm on the day of expiry (i.e. if we were heavily delayed, and didn't land in the US until after midnight, could I have a big problem)?
Advice appreciated.
Should I just play safe?
Jul 21, 2016, 3:26 am
#3
Join Date: Sep 2015
Location: Peterborough, UK
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$45? Its only $14 per person
Agreed as above its only applies on arrival, i had a similar issue and i was flying in on business a few weeks before and i asked the officer for my next trip and he confirmed the same to me
Agreed as above its only applies on arrival, i had a similar issue and i was flying in on business a few weeks before and i asked the officer for my next trip and he confirmed the same to me
Jul 28, 2016, 4:44 am
#4
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Only needs to be good on arrival. However if you arrive after midnight then yes you'll have problems. They'll most likely work with you, but it will be an handed stress after a long flight from the UK.
Dec 16, 2017, 7:35 am
#5
Moderator: British Airways Executive Club, Iberia Airlines, Airport Lounges and Environmentally Friendly Travel
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Location: London, UK
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I am so glad I found this thread as I have a similar condition next week - i'll be entering the US just 4 days ahead of my current ESTA expiry date. I was going to play it safe and purchase a fresh ESTA but after reading the advice here, it seems my current ESTA will work.
Dec 16, 2017, 12:50 pm
#6
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I am so glad I found this thread as I have a similar condition next week - i'll be entering the US just 4 days ahead of my current ESTA expiry date. I was going to play it safe and purchase a fresh ESTA but after reading the advice here, it seems my current ESTA will work.
Dec 3, 2018, 6:30 am
#8
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: York, UK
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Posts: 247
As other posters have said, absolutely fine as long as you arrive before midnight on last day.
Personally however, I would renew it just for peace of mind. I have had several occasions when flying into the US over the years where I have had weather and mechanical delays that have delayed my arrival to the next day and for the sake of a few dollars I would just do it. Perhaps I have just been unlucky but the stress that I would feel should there be any delay would really spoil the beginning of my holiday even if it all turned out okay.
Personally however, I would renew it just for peace of mind. I have had several occasions when flying into the US over the years where I have had weather and mechanical delays that have delayed my arrival to the next day and for the sake of a few dollars I would just do it. Perhaps I have just been unlucky but the stress that I would feel should there be any delay would really spoil the beginning of my holiday even if it all turned out okay.