USA ESTA

[Himeno]

USA CBP certainly link old and new passports. I renewed mine 13 months ago and my USA entry/exit history (available here: I94 - Official Website ) results span travel with both the old and new passports. I only entered the new.

I just tried that site.
Entered current passport details, get "No record found for traveler."
I've had 1-3 US entries a year for the last 13 years.

 

[DC3]

Thankyou Thankyou Thankyou. I thought I was going mad. I cannot find it here but yes it was reported by some AFFers. I can’t find out the specifics.

Right all along

 

[serfty]

I just tried that site.
Entered current passport details, get "No record found for traveler."
I've had 1-3 US entries a year for the last 13 years.

It showed all my visits beginning from when this I94 query tool was introduced in 2014.

 

[RooFlyer]

USA CBP certainly link old and new passports. I renewed mine 13 months ago and my USA entry/exit history (available here: I94 - Official Website ) results span travel with both the old and new passports. I only entered the new.

It gives me 44 arrivals and departures reported back to 2014, with 10 in 2017 (all of 2017) where location was 'unavailable'. Because USA does not have departure immigration, it must match your flight number with a destination outside the US.

Edit: from the website:

CBP documents travel from a variety of sources. This travel history is only a tool to assist the public and is not an official record for legal purpose.

All these are on my current passport, issued 2013. When I went back and entered my previous passport, it brought up the same results.

 

[Scarlett]

This will be annoying when near real time Esta is needed.

Two years ago my family and I had PR tickets SYD-MNL-GUM rtn from the excellent J sale PR were running. At SYD cx-in the PR staff wanted confirmation of our Esta. I had checked and rechecked that there was a separate VWP for Guam and the CNMI and we were good with Aus passports. (Esta only required if going on from Guam to USA proper) Our previous Estas had expired.

Staff were adamant we would not be checked in without Esta, even after being shown CBP official webpage with the Guam info and the Guam government page with same info. We got straight to tapping and acquired Estas rather than continuing arguing as we would've been denied travel. Even though they were wrong...

 

[Pushka]

This will be annoying when near real time Esta is needed.

Two years ago my family and I had PR tickets SYD-MNL-GUM rtn from the excellent J sale PR were running. At SYD cx-in the PR staff wanted confirmation of our Esta. I had checked and rechecked that there was a separate VWP for Guam and the CNMI and we were good with Aus passports. (Esta only required if going on from Guam to USA proper) Our previous Estas had expired.

Staff were adamant we would not be checked in without Esta, even after being shown CBP official webpage with the Guam info and the Guam government page with same info. We got straight to tapping and acquired Estas rather than continuing arguing as we would've been denied travel. Even though they were wrong...

Well at least they are rather inexpensive.

 

[eric2011]

Is there any requirement for validity after the date of travel, ie traveling 6th Jan, esta expiring 9th Jan

 

[Himeno]

Is there any requirement for validity after the date of travel, ie traveling 6th Jan, esta expiring 9th Jan

The ESTA only needs to be valid when you enter the US.
You can enter Jan 1 and get a stamp allowing you to be in the US until March 31 with an ESTA that expires on Jan 2.

 

[JohnK]

I must get down to doing our ESTA and Canadian Visa before we hand over a large slab of money next month. New passports and all that.

This another new requirement right? Don't recall applying for Canadian visas in 2009.

 

[Himeno]

This another new requirement right? Don't recall applying for Canadian visas in 2009.

There has been no change to Canadian visa requirements.
They have only added that people who don't need a visa to enter Canada now require an eTA to fly to Canada. They were added around 2015.
Cost CA$7 and are valid for shorter of passport validity or 5 years.

 

[Himeno]

I just tried that site.
Entered current passport details, get "No record found for traveler."
I've had 1-3 US entries a year for the last 13 years.

This is odd.

Trying this US travel history look up site again.
Current passport details gives "No record found for traveler." on the travel history.
Using my old passport details (replaced Sep 2014) gives basic data (date, Arrival, port) for the 3rd of 3 entries this year and 2nd of 2 in 2017.

This history page then gives the option to look at most recent I-94 form. Clicking that gives the "No record found for traveler." Then entering my current passport on that page gives the current I-94 details.

It only gives me 2 arrival returns (of 9 since late 2014), made on passport 2, when using details of passport 1 and nothing when using details of passport 2.

 

[opusman]

Yes, that bothered me. But I've been back to the site, and looked, and there's no specific number, only the application ID. The status page specifically says 'approved for travel to the USA', so I've printed that out. Just not what I expected, or remembered from last time.

The application number is the ESTA number afaik.

 

[Quickstatus]

I don't think the ESTA system is all that clear though, especially for people who haven't travelled much.

Especially when Google ranks the real esta website below third party esta agent websites who charge a fee like QF

It’s always been “up to 72 hrs” for an ESTA turnaround. I got mine within 30min when I renewed in Nov 2018

 

[Quickstatus]

Is the US better now with new passports? Seem to remember that the new Oz passport raised concerns when Trump came in.

The auto kiosks work fine except when passport is renewed and has never entered USA before - get to go to secondary inspection then

 

[Quickstatus]

Is the US better now with new passports? Seem to remember that the new Oz passport raised concerns when Trump came in.

Not because of new passports. It’s worse because tipping is now circa 20% and AUD/USD could be higher but it’s not
A lot of people and authorities raised concerns when Trump got in

 

[Franky]

Not because of new passports. It’s worse because tipping is now circa 20% and AUD/USD could be higher but it’s not
A lot of people and authorities raised concerns when Trump got in

Concerns about what?....

 

[mrsterryn]

As this is USA visa and such...why is there now a check of your passport if you are travelling to USA? They then put a sticker in your passport?
I have collected a few now

 

[RooFlyer]

As this is USA visa and such...why is there now a check of your passport if you are travelling to USA? They then put a sticker in your passport?
I have collected a few now

Notwithstanding an ESTA is not a visa , that extra check is just another security check instigated by US authorities, taking it away from check-in agents. The sticker is for others to see that you have been checked.

 

[mrsterryn]

Notwithstanding an ESTA is not a visa , that extra check is just another security check instigated by US authorities, taking it away from check-in agents. The sticker is for others to see that you have been checked.

Okey dokey thanks for that

 

[Himeno]

As this is USA visa and such...why is there now a check of your passport if you are travelling to USA? They then put a sticker in your passport?
I have collected a few now

It's a paranoia thing the US has. They have a security guard ask questions to people flying to the US. It used to just be from EU airports, it's been expanded to everywhere after Trump got in.

At least they are putting the stupid sticker on the inside of the passport cover, and not outside like the EU checkers have been doing. The stupid sticker is one reason I stopped flying Europe > US.