On this page
- How much does ESTA cost in 2026?
- Which Visa Waiver countries qualify?
- How long can you stay in the US on an ESTA?
- Which trips are allowed: holidays, meetings, work or study?
- When should you apply for ESTA?
- Who needs a visa even with a Visa Waiver passport?
- Is a visitor visa at a consulate the next step after a refusal?
- Will social media and a selfie become required in 2026?
- Do you need an ESTA at a land border?
- FAQ
ESTA is the online travel authorisation for citizens of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries. They need it before flying to the United States for up to 90 days without a visa. From 16 October 2026 it costs $40.62. An approved ESTA is valid for two years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. It is not a visa: the officer at the airport still decides whether you enter.
The figures here come from the Federal Register notices that set the fee and from the Visa Waiver Program regulation, 8 CFR part 217, read on 26 October 2026. The application site shows its fee only at the payment step, so confirm the amount there.
How much does ESTA cost in 2026?
The ESTA fee is $40.62 for applications made from 16 October 2026, and it now rises with inflation every October. The 2025 federal budget law added a new charge to the old fee. The Department of Homeland Security adjusts that part each year.
| Applications from | Fee | If refused |
|---|---|---|
| Before 30 September 2025 | $21 | – |
| 30 September 2025 | $40 | – |
| 1 January 2026 | $40.27 | $10.27 |
| 16 October 2026 | $40.62 | $10.62 |
A refused application still pays the processing part, $10.62 today. One fee covers every trip in the two years. A family travelling twice in that time therefore pays once per person. Expect the figure to move again each autumn and check the payment page rather than any guide, this one included.
Which Visa Waiver countries qualify?
The Visa Waiver Program covers 42 countries, and only their citizens can apply for ESTA. Holding residence in one of them is not enough.
- Europe (32): Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the United Kingdom.
- Asia and the Pacific (7): Australia, Brunei, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan.
- The Americas and the Middle East (3): Chile, Israel, Qatar.
British citizens qualify only with the unrestricted right of permanent abode in the United Kingdom. Qatar is the newest member, with travel allowed since 1 December 2024. Romania was removed from the program, according to a CBP notice of 10 December 2025, so Romanian citizens need a visa.
How long can you stay in the US on an ESTA?
An ESTA allows stays of up to 90 days per visit. The authorisation stays valid for two years from the day of approval, or less if the passport expires sooner. Within those two years it can be used for any number of trips, each one limited to 90 days.
A side trip does not reset the clock. Cross into Canada or Mexico, or fly to a nearby island, and you return for the rest of the original 90 days. You do not get a fresh 90. A return ticket that ends in Canada or Mexico does not count as leaving either, unless you live there.
The Visa Waiver Program has no extension. In an emergency, immigration can grant up to 30 days to leave. A visit planned for longer than 90 days needs a visa from the start.
Which trips are allowed: holidays, meetings, work or study?
An ESTA covers tourism and short business trips. The State Department lists holidays, visiting friends or relatives and medical treatment, plus business meetings, conferences and negotiating a contract.
An ESTA is not insurance, and our guide to travel insurance for the USA covers medical bills. An ESTA does not cover paid work, study for credit, work as foreign press or media, or moving to the United States. A road trip through the national parks, a week in New York or a family visit all fit inside it. A summer job does not.
When should you apply for ESTA?
Apply for ESTA when you book the trip, which is what US Customs and Border Protection itself recommends. The approval must be in place before you board the plane. When the authorisation was extended to land borders in 2022, the rule described processing as taking at least two hours, with most decisions within 72 hours.
Apply only on the official site, esta.cbp.dhs.gov, or in the ESTA Mobile app published by US Customs and Border Protection. Other sites that fill in the form for you are not run by the US government. Anything they charge comes on top of the fee. The app's recent versions include a face and liveness check. Have the passport and good light to hand.
Who needs a visa even with a Visa Waiver passport?
Some citizens of Visa Waiver Program countries cannot use ESTA because of where they have been. A visitor who has been to North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since 1 March 2011 needs a visa instead. The same applies after any visit to Cuba since 12 January 2021. Diplomatic and military travel for a Visa Waiver country is the exception.
Dual nationals of a Visa Waiver country and Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria also need a visa. The passport matters too: the program requires an e-passport, the kind with a chip, including emergency and temporary passports.
Is a visitor visa at a consulate the next step after a refusal?
A refused ESTA means applying for a B-1 or B-2 visitor visa at a US embassy or consulate. That takes an interview and much longer. The regulation says plainly that a refusal does not make you ineligible for a visa. Nor does it stop you applying for one.
A refused ESTA application still costs $10.62. The same 2025 law created a $250 visa integrity fee, charged when a consulate issues a visa, and an approved ESTA is not a visa. On 30 October 2026 we found no Federal Register notice that the fee is being collected; USCIS said in July 2025 that it would be implemented in a future publication. Our guide to US visitor visas for tourists covers the visa route.
Will social media and a selfie become required in 2026?
ESTA may change, but nothing has been finalised as of 26 October 2026. On 10 December 2025 Customs and Border Protection proposed several new requirements. The comment period closed on 9 February 2026. No follow-up notice had appeared in the Federal Register by 26 October.
- Social media: accounts from the last five years would become a required answer.
- Other personal data: phone numbers and email addresses would also be asked for.
- Selfie: a photo of the applicant in addition to the passport photo.
- App only: the ESTA Mobile app would become the only way to apply.
The fee is the change that has already happened. It has almost doubled since September 2025 and is now adjusted every year.
Do you need an ESTA at a land border?
You need an ESTA at a land border too. Since 2 May 2022 it has replaced the paper form travellers once filled in at the crossing. A Visa Waiver traveller driving in from Canada or walking in from Mexico must have an approved ESTA before reaching the officer.
Cars queuing for US inspection at the Peace Arch crossing from British Columbia into Washington State.
Arriving by land also means an I-94 record, which costs $30 at the border since 30 September 2025. Travellers who fly in pay no I-94 fee.
On a second ESTA visit, you can use Mobile Passport Control at airports that offer it. The app sends your passport details before you reach the officer. A first visit does not qualify. Once you are in, our guides to national park fees for international visitors and the Southwest national parks loop cover the next decisions.