How do I find my ESTA?

How do I find my ESTA?

The ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) is an electronic travel authorization for the USA for citizens of the 38 visa-exempt countries. If you are a French national and have already applied online, you may be looking to get your hands on this temporary residence permit. In order to make your task easier, we explain in detail the procedure to follow to easily find your ESTA online.

The application number to find an ESTA

If you have already applied for ESTA and you have paid the required amount. Your case has been released to U.S. Customs and Border Protection. At this stage, the US authorities must assign you a personal identifier linked to your application: the ESTA file number.

This identifier is important since it will allow you to find your ESTA on the official US government website.

Do you have your ESTA application number? Go to the next stage !

Retrieve an ESTA request

To find an ESTA, you must first click on the “Check ESTA status” tab, then select “check individual status”. In this section, you will need to enter three pieces of information about the applicant:

  • his biometric passport number (or electronic passport);
  • his date of birth ;
  • its application number.

If these three elements correspond to the application file, you will then be able to access the personal space dedicated to ESTA.

Unable to find your ESTA application number: what to do?

Can’t find your ESTA USA application number? Don’t worry, there is another way to get your hands on your ESTA file. In “Retrieve an individual request”, simply select “I do not know the request number”. Instead of the three information mentioned above, you will need to fill in five data fields:

  • passport number;
  • the nationality ;
  • the date of issue;
  • expiration date ;
  • the birth date.

Once again, if this information is correct, you should be able to find your ESTA without any problem.

Check the status of the application after finding your ESTA

Did you apply for your ESTA authorization a few hours or a few days ago? It is imperative to ensure that you are indeed eligible for the visa waiver.

Note that for an ESTA request, there are three possible statuses.

ESTA application approved

If US Customs and Border Protection approves your application for temporary entry, it means you can stay on US soil for up to 90 days, out of a total period of 24 months. The only condition is to have a valid passport. If the latter expires, you will be able to see on your online space that your ESTA is no longer valid.

ESTA request pending

The “pending” status is common when the US government site is dealing with an influx of ESTA orders. The time to process your request is then extended somewhat. In any case, whether your request results in an approval or a refusal, you will be fixed within a maximum of 72 hours.

ESTA application refused

Although rare, an ESTA application may be rejected when the traveler does not meet the Visa Waiver Program eligibility criteria. If this is your case, we suggest that you quickly contact the consular authorities or the American Embassy in order to apply for a USA visa.

Find an ESTA authorization to update it

Have you managed to find your ESTA authorization but it is not up to date? Be aware that if the information on the ESTA form is no longer up to date, this may jeopardize your stay in the United States of America. For example, if you have changed your name following a marriage and your maiden name still appears on your ESTA, the customs services may refuse you access to American territory.

In order to avoid this disappointment, you can first apply for a new passport in order to update your information on your identity document. Once this process has been completed, you will need to submit a new online ESTA request.