[SEL] ESTA: New Entry Requirements for Travel to the United States

[Arnie Fero]

Folks,

Our corporate travel mavens issued this advisory for our employees in other
countries and for our foreign customers and colleagues.

Since a number of engine folks also travel across the pond to the US, I figured this
would be good info to post here.  These revised rules went into affect on January
12th.

Now there are some Aussie and Kiwi sheep shaggers on the lists (who will remain
nameless) who may have some difficulty with the "Moral Turpitude" questions.

Crimes involving moral turpitude - Such offenses generally involve conduct which is
inherently base, vile, or depraved and contrary to the accepted rules of morality
and the duties owed to persons or society in general.

8-)))

See ya,  Arnie


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The United States has recently implemented the Electronic System for Travel
Authorization (ESTA) program for all nationals and citizens of Visa Waiver Program
(VWP) countries who travel to the United States.

Administered by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, ESTA is a new online
system designed to determine the eligibility of visitors to the U.S. before they
travel. ESTA applies to citizens of all countries that participate in the VWP, who
plan to travel to the U.S. on business or leisure trips of 90 days or less.
Specifically, the VWP consists of 27 countries, including Belgium, France, Germany,
Japan, the Republic of Korea, Spain, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Under ESTA, travelers are required to submit basic biographical and eligibility
information online prior to traveling. ESTA requests can be submitted at any time
prior to travel to the U.S.; the U.S. Department of Homeland Security encourages
travelers to seek ESTA approval as soon as they begin to plan their trip. There is
no fee to complete the ESTA application.

To submit ESTA information, travelers must log on to the ESTA Web site at
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

Once approved, an ESTA is valid for multiple entries to the U.S. and remains valid
for up to two years, or until the applicant's passport expires. Travelers who fail
to submit this information may be denied boarding, experience delayed processing or
be denied admission into the United States.

For more information on ESTA, visit www.cbp.gov/esta<http://www.cbp.gov/esta>.

To view an online video outlining the ESTA program in more detail, go to
http://nemo.cbp.gov/opa/videos/ESTA_innovation.wmv.

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