America/Canada Discussion Forum

Discussions regarding holidays in America and Canada
Michelle ... if you have already booked this holiday and supplied your airline or tour operator with your existing passport details, remember that you will also need to update them with the new passport details after renewal.

David :wave
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Sorry if this has been mentioned before, my daughter (16 years old) is planning to go visit her dad in Texas, USA next year between April - September and I myself have never been to the states before so a bit confused about all the visa stuff. She is only going for a week or 2 so does that mean she doesn't need to apply for a visa because it's under 90 days? I've heard she would just have to fill a form out on the plane. I have no idea how the visa process works, you fill out on plane then once landed in airport what next? :duh :que

Sorry for sounding so stupid! I really don't want her to get refused because of something silly we didn't do.
Thanks in advance,
CourtneeLouise :wave:
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Hello,

She doesnt need to apply for a visa providing she meets all the requirements for the ESTA.. You fill this in online & its then valid for 2 years, i think it has now replaced the visa waiver forms on the plane.. You only have to fill out the customs forms now..

If you go to the first page on here i think there is a link to the official site it costs about $10 to do i think.. :)
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She should be eligible for an ESTA if she meets the requirements. Complete the form from the link on Page 1 and it will tell you. It currently costs $14 and is valid for 2 years or until the passport is renewed so have a payment card ready.

luci :wave
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I've had a read through the ESTA website and that's perfect. Thank you so much for your help and advice guys :)
CourtneeLouise x
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Friends banned from US over Tweet

British friends claim they were barred from entering the US after tweets joking about ‘destroying America' were picked up by the country's anti-terror police.

US special agents monitoring Twitter saw Coventry-based Leigh Van Bryan's messages weeks before he left for a holiday in Los Angeles with his friend Emily Bunting, reports the Sun.

He said they were held by armed guards, quizzed for five hours, locked up overnight and then put on a flight home.

His tweet read: "Free this week, for quick gossip/prep before I go and destroy America."

Despite claiming they told officials at Los Angeles airport the term ‘destroy' was British slang for partying, the pair were held on suspicion of planning to ‘commit crimes'.

With permission from Travelmole
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Hi, I am travelling with my mum and daughter.

I was arrested once 5 yrs ago but released without charge. I believe this means I am not eligable for a visa wavier. Is this correct?

Does this mean I have to apply in person to london for an interview?

can my mum and daughter still apply online for the wisa wavier?

I need to get a new passport for my daughter, so I need to do this first. We go in may, should I apply now?

how much will it all cost?

Thank you. I have looked online but I find all the information confusing and I appreciate your help. x
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It depends whether it was a Crime involving Moral Turpitude. If you say what you were arrest for I might be able to check, or PM me if you prefer.

You could do a dummy run on the ESTA site to see if you can answer all the questions.

Yes your Mum and daughter can apply for an ESTA if none of the exclusions apply to them. Make sure you use the official link on Page 1 of this topic as some sites charge a fee for processing in addition to the $14 ESTA fee.

You should apply for your daughter's passport before getting the ESTA and there is no reason why you cannot apply now. If she has an existing passport, any unexpired time on it up to 9 months will be added to the new passport.

You haven't said how old your daughter is. A new adult passport is £77.50 and a child's one is £49. All the information you need is here:

http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/TravelAndTransport/Passports/index.htm

luci :wave
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Sorry if I am just repeating old stuff but I have a machine readable passport which runs out in 2013, do I now need a chipped passport for US?
Last time I went it was the green visa waiver thing so not sure
Thanks
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Hi shaz66 ... your existing machine readable passport is valid for the US until its expiry, and will be replaced with a biometric passport on renewal.

You will still need to register for ESTA, details can be found at the beginning of this thread.

David :wave
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Hi, I've posted before regarding the problems I've encountered with a USA visa in my passport.
The main one nearly being refused entry into Canada when I crossed from the USA on a tour.
It appears the Canadian restrictions are far worse than the Americans.
I'm sure I read somewhere if you cross the border from Canada to the USA by road you don't have to produce
an ESTA. Is this true?
If it is there is a trip I would like to do which starts in Canada and ends in the USA. My USA Visa has caused so much grief
I would take great pleasure in putting the passport through the washing machine and applying for a new one without the
stigma of a USA Visa.
Can anyone confirm/dismiss my ESTA query.
Cheers,
Deka
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Hi Deka ... this US Customs and Border Protection webpage should hopefully clarify things for you:
https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1094/session/L3NpZC9FNVJRQkFSaw%3D%3D

It advises that if you are a citizen of a VWP country and visiting the US from Canada or Mexico by land, you do not need to have ESTA authorisation. If you are entering the US by land and leaving the US by air, you still do not need ESTA authorisation. That of course assumes eligibility to travel under the VWP.

David :wave
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Thanks David, I won't wash my passport just yet though.
Deka
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My mums passport was issued in 2003, will this be machine readable? how can you tell?

:tup
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Hi andreaB ... machine readable passports were first introduced back in 1988, and biometric passports in 2005/2006.

David :wave
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