From September 30, 2025 the ESTA fee will jump from $21 to $40.
Here’s how to apply for one…
Pro tip: Don’t get ripped off by websites set up to add an extra $100 to the simple online process of buying your ESTA visa waiver!
My friend told me that she’d read this post AFTER she’d paid $170 per ESTA for her and her husband. If she’d seen this post she would have just paid the US government $21. Grrrrr.
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What is an ESTA Visa Waiver?
ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization.
Who needs an ESTA?
If you haven’t travelled to the US since 2010, you will need to apply for an online ETSA Visa Waiver, and they expire after two years so you need to reapply. The good news is, it’s easy peasy!
If you’re from a Visa waiver country like New Zealand, Australia, Britain, France, Italy, Germany, Spain and loads more (click here to see all the countries accepted) you need to have been pre-approved to enter the United States by filing a form online before you travel.
Note: BEFORE you travel. Allow at least a week.
Jump onto this link to the official ESTA website (it ends in .gov/esta so you know it’s the real one) and follow the easy steps. Once accepted (which can take from a few hours to a few days) your visa waiver is valid for 2 years, then you must repeat the cycle.
If you are declined you won’t be able to board your outbound flight, and you will need to apply for a US Visa.
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Read my post on how long passports need to be valid for travel to about 30 countries here >>>