What are the Immigration requirements for passengers travelling to New York?
On January 12th 2009 US Immigration introduced a new online holiday visa registration system for all countries on the visa waiver programme (VWP). Since Ireland is signed up to this agreement, all Irish passport holders travelling to the US without a visa will need to pre-register their travel details online with the Department of Homeland Security through their Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) at the following address: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov
Registration is FREE and must be done at least 72 hours (3 days) prior to departure date. The system will advise passengers whether travel to the US has been authorised.
According to the US Embassy in Dublin, an approved ESTA travel authorisation is:
- valid for up to two years or until the passenger’s passport expires, whichever comes first;
- valid for multiple entries into the U.S.; and
- not a guarantee of admissibility to the United States at a port of entry. ESTA approval only authorises a passenger to board a carrier for
travel to the U.S. under the VWP. In all cases, Customs Border Patrol officers make admissibility determinations at ports of entry.
Please note children and infants must have their own ESTA authorisation. Passengers will still need to complete the green I-94 Immigration Form provided on-board the flight or at the check-in desk and present to customs upon arrival.
Tags: ESTA, US Immigration, Visa Waiver Programme
