Kája and I are planning to go to the USA in July for a three-week holiday. We'll visit Steven and Michael in Atlanta for a week, then fly to Arizona to visit my folks for a week. Then all of us are driving to California to visit my sister for a week. Since Kája is Czech he needed to apply for an ESTA in order to visit the USA. ESTA is the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation under the Visa Waiver Program and it's quicker than applying for a regular tourist visa.
A U.S. Tourist Visa costs $185 and requires an in-person interview at the American Embassy in Prague, The visa is valid for up to 10 years, is good for multiple entires, and a person can stay up to Six months at a time.
The Visa Waiver Program is for citizens of specific countries, including Czechland, who want to visit the USA for up to 90 days at a time. The ESTA only costs $21, can be applied for online, so no in-person interview is required, and while good for multiple visits, it is only valid for two years.
An ESTA is only valid for citizens of the following countries:
Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United Kingdom.
The applicant must have an e-passport and must have either a return or onward ticket to leave the USA.
If you've visited North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria, or Yemen after 1 March 2011, or if you've visited Cuba after 12 January 2021, then you can't apply for an ESTA. You must apply for a normal travel visa.
This must be a bummer for all of the Europeans who visit Cuba on holiday because once they have, they can't get an ESTA.
An ESTA can be applied for no later than 72 hours before entering the USA. Kája applied for his ESTA on the weekend and has already received his confirmation. He won't have a visa in his passport but he will need to show this document at the airport during check-in to confirm he's authorised to enter the USA.
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