Nationalities eligible for the ESTA

An official ESTA is a travel authorization that is issued by the United States security services. Only nationals of countries that are members of the Visa Waiwer Program can appli for an ESTA and therefore from a visa exemption. to people living abroad. The ESTA can be obtained for tourism or business purposes. Stays must be less than 90 days.

Men, women, adults or minors must have an ESTA authorization or a visa for the USA before traveling to the USA. ESTA authorization is only granted to a traveler holding a biometric or electronic passport and originating from a Visa Waiver Program member country.

Thanks to the ESTA authorization, it is possible to return several times to the United States during the two-year validity of the document.

Which nationalities are eligible for ESTA?

Only nationals of countries participating in the Visa Waiver Program are allowed to apply for ESTA. The list of European countries is as follows:
Andorra, Austria, Croatia, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.

Non-European nationals are also entitled to apply for ESTA authorization if they are from : Australia, Republic of South Korea, Brunei, New Zealand, Singapore, Taiwan, Japan and Israel (as of October 2023).

Member countries are countries that routinely trade with the United States of America. They have many mutual interests and share the same homeland security policies, which allows them more leniency from the U.S. authorities in receiving their nationals.

Obtaining ESTA authorization does not guarantee access to the United States. Indeed, this authorization is like a B2 tourist visa, it is subject to customs control which can refuse access to the United States of America.