You should make an online application at CBP Web Site.

Each traveler must complete a separate application. Even though the web site is available in 21 languages, all answers must be given in English. Mandatory fields are indicated by a red asterisk ^*.



Click on the 'Apply' button just below the left half section of the web site that has a heading 'Apply for an Authorization to Travel to the United States'.

Family Name - Mandatory:
Enter the family name as it appears on your passport under the Family Name or Surname field.

First (Given) Name - Mandatory:
Enter your first (given) name as it appears on your passport under the First or Given Name field. Do not include the middle name in this field. If you have no first name, then enter the letters FNU which stands for First Name Unknown.

You are NOT allowed to enter any special characters such as ~ or accent marks anywhere - even in the a name. You must only the English letters, with no special punctuation. For both Last Name and First Name, enter the name as it appears in the machine readable zone (MRZ) of your passport. This is the two lines of text with numbers and chevrons (<<<<) at the bottom of the personal information page with the passport bearer's picture.

Birth Date - Day, Month and Year - Mandatory:
Choose the day, month and year on which you were born.

Sex - Mandatory:
Choose your gender, either male or female.

Country where you live - Mandatory:
Choose the country in which you reside.

E-Mail Address - Optional:
Enter the e-mail address at which you can be contacted.

Telephone Number - Optional:
Choose the country code of the telephone number and enter the telephone number where you can be contacted. If the application does not accept your phone number, try entering it again without any brackets such as () or hyphens - or spaces between the numbers.

Passport Number - Mandatory:
Enter your passport number as it appears on your passport. If you are having any difficulty entering the passport number, try entering it in without any spaces between the numbers.

Passport Issuing Country - Mandatory:
Choose the country of citizenship, as it appears on your passport. You need to enter the country of your nationality, not the physical location where the passport was issued. e.g., if you have a French passport that was issued in Australia, choose France.

Passport Issuance Date - Mandatory:
Choose the day, month and year on which your passport was issued, as it appears on your passport under the Date of Issue field.

Passport Expiration Date - Mandatory:
Choose the day, month and year on which your passport expires, as it appears on your passport under the Expiration Date or Extension field.

City Where You Are Boarding - Optional:
Enter the last city where you will board an aircraft prior to arriving in the United States on this trip.

Carrier Information - Optional:
Carrier Name - Choose the carrier name for the carrier on which you will be traveling to the United States, if your travel information is available.

Flight Number or Vessel Name - Enter the flight number or vessel name for the carrier on which you will be traveling to the United States, if your travel information is available.

Address While In The United States - Optional:
Address Line 1:
Enter the number and street of the location where you will stay while in the United States. Do not include the city and state in this field.

If multiple locations are planned, enter the first address.

If the complete address is not known, enter the name of the hotel or location you will visit. You may update this information once confirmed.

If you are leaving the United States immediately and do not have an address, enter the words "In Transit" and your final destination location.

Address Line 2:
Enter apartment, suite, unit, floor, building, or other, if appropriate. Do not include the city and state in this field.

City:
Enter the city of the address where you will stay while in the United States.

State:
Enter the state of the address where you will stay while in the United States.

Even though it is not required, you are encouraged to provide your destination addresses and itineraries. If your destination address in the U.S. is unknown at the time of application, you should enter the name of the hotel or approximate location you intend to visit. If you wish, you can update this information later when the plans are more finalized but it is not required to do so.

All of the below questions are mandatory to answer:

A) Do you have a communicable disease; physical or mental disorder; or are you a drug abuser or addict? *

Communicable Diseases

Under United States law communicable diseases of public health significance include:

• Chancroid
  
  
• Gonorrhea
  
  
• Granuloma inguinale
  
  
• Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection
  
  
• Leprosy, infectious
  
  
• Lymphogranuloma venereum
  
  
• Syphilis, infectious stage
  
  
• Tuberculosis, active
  
  
• And others as determined by the Department of Health and Human Services.

If you have been cured, or are no longer in an infectious state, you can answer this question "No". However, you would need to bring the medical proof that you are no longer contagious.

If you have common illnesses like the flu or cold, you don't have to answer this question "Yes". Even though they are technically communicable diseases, they are not considered a bar to entering the U.S.

Physical or Mental Disorders

With regard to physical or mental disorders, answer "Yes" to this question if:

1. You currently have a physical or mental disorder and a history of behavior associated with the disorder that may pose or has posed a threat to your property, safety or welfare or that of others; or
   
   
2. You had a physical or mental disorder and a history of behavior associated with the disorder that has posed a threat to your property, safety or welfare or that of others and the behavior is likely to recur or lead to other harmful behavior.
   
   

Answer "No" if:

1. You currently have no physical or mental disorders; or
   
   
2. You have or had a physical or mental disorder without associated behavior that may pose or has posed a threat to your property, safety or welfare of that of others; or
   
   
3. You currently have a physical or mental disorder with associated behavior, but that behavior has not posed, does not currently pose nor will pose a threat to your property, safety or welfare or that of others; or
   
   
4. You had a physical or mental disorder with associated behavior that posed a threat to your property, safety or welfare or that of others, but that behavior is unlikely to recur.

Drug Abusers and Drug Addicts

Under United States law persons may not be admissible if they have been determined to be a drug abuser or drug addict.

For further information refer to § 212(a)(1)(A) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(1)(A), and corresponding regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations.

B) Have you ever been arrested or convicted for an offense or crime involving moral turpitude or a violation related to a controlled substance; or have been arrested or convicted for two or more offenses for which the aggregate sentence to confinement was five years or more; or have been a controlled substance trafficker; or are you seeking entry to engage in criminal or immoral activities? *

Crimes involving moral turpitude - Such offenses generally involve conduct which is inherently base, vile, or depraved and contrary to the accepted rules of morality and the duties owed to persons or society in general. There are factors, such as the age of the offender or the date of the offense, that may affect whether an offense will be considered a crime involving moral turpitude for purposes of the Immigration and Nationality Act.

For further information refer to § 212(a)(2) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2), § 101(a)(43) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1101(a)(43) and corresponding regulations in the Code of Federal Regulations.

C) Have you ever been or are you now involved in espionage or sabotage; or in terrorist activities; or genocide; or between 1933 and 1945 were you involved, in any way, in persecutions associated with Nazi Germany or its allies? *

Self-explanatory.

D) Are you seeking to work in the U.S.; or have you ever been excluded and deported; or been previously removed from the United States or procured or attempted to procure a visa or entry into the U.S. by fraud or misrepresentation? *

Individuals entering the United States under the Visa Waiver Program are admitted as non-immigrant alien visitors and may not seek employment in the United States. While Visa Waiver Program travelers may not seek employment in the United States, there are many classifications of non-immigrant and immigrant employment-sponsored visas for those who qualify.

For further information refer to § 212(a)(5) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(5).

E) Have you ever detained, retained or withheld custody of a child from a U.S. citizen granted custody of the child? *

Any alien who, after entry of an order by a court in the United States granting custody to a person of a United States citizen child who detains or retains the child, or withholds custody of the child, outside the United States from the person granted custody by that order, is inadmissible until the child is surrendered to the person granted custody by that order.

For further information refer to § 212(a)(10)(C) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(10)(C).

F) Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa or entry into the U.S. or had a U.S. visa canceled? *

Self-explanatory.

G) Have you ever asserted immunity from prosecution? *

With regard to immunity from prosecution, answer "Yes" to this question if all of the following apply:

1. you have committed a serious criminal offense in the United States as defined in 8 U.S.C. Sec. 1101(h), including any felony, at any time for which immunity from criminal jurisdiction was exercised; and
   
   
2. as a consequence of the offense and exercise of immunity identified in (a), you have departed from the United States; and
   
   
3. you have not subsequently submitted fully to the jurisdiction of the court in the United States having jurisdiction with respect to that offense.

For further information refer to § 212(a)(2)(E) and 101(h) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, 8 U.S.C. § 1182(a)(2)(E) and 1101(h).

• There are four steps in the application:
  
  Step 1: You answer all the questions, as described above.
  Step 2: You review your answers and submit the application.
  Step 3: You get the application number. Print this page as the confirmation. However, don't stop here as you are not done yet. You must click the 'Next' button to go to the next step.
  Step 4: You will see your authorization status. You must get to this step in order to see your authorization status. You will not be sent any email or any other communication regarding your authorization status.
  
  
• If your computer meets the minimum configuration requirements and if you still face the technical problems, there could be a problem with your web browser or fire wall. Check your internet security settings. If they are set too high, they may be blocking access to the ESTA web site.
  
  
• Some ISPs (Internet Service Providers) may be blocked due to spam concerns. If that is the case, you may have to contact your local ISP for assistance.
  
  
• If your computer freezes up and will not let you continue, most likely problem is with your browser or your computer capacity. You should consider using a different computer.
  
  
• If you get an Error Message that says "There is already an application with that passport number in the system", you must have clicked on the Submit button too many times. You must close the browser and re-apply.