The ESTA visa is quite hard to understand because of the fact that it is not actually a visa. ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization. It practically refers to the online program of the United States for offering authorization to the travelers that come from countries that are pre-approved for US visits.
At first glance, the ESTA USA process is really simple. It simply allows people coming from specific countries to enter the USA through travel authorization instead of through a regular visa. The visitor is allowed to come to the country for a business trip or for a vacation, with a stay of up to 3 months.
The biggest advantage of the ESTA is that when you live in an approved country you gain some specific extras as compared with the others. For instance, you get the travel authorization so much faster than when you are going through the process of getting a regular visa that allows you to visit America. At the same time, the price is so much lower. Instead of paying a really high fee, applying for the ESTA is just a simple per-application fee of $14.
There are over thirty countries that are pre-approved. This means that if you are living in those countries, you can use the US Visa Waiver Program to go to the country. Most of the EU nations are included, like the UK. At the same time, various countries in Asia are accepted, together with New Zealand and Australia. However, some really notable countries are not included in the ESTA process. This includes India, Brazil, Russia and China.
If you get the ESTA visa, you can stay in the country for up to ninety days. This is the official trip limit. The trip can just be done for pleasure or for business. You cannot utilize the program if you want to find a substitute for the regular student visa. Also, multiple re-entries are not going to be allowed. If this is something that you want to do, you have to apply for the regular travel visa.
For most people from around the world, the biggest advantage with the application system for ESTA is that the internet can be used. When you are a citizen of the country that is approved through the Waiver Program, the only thing you really need is a fully valid passport. Paying the fee can be done through PayPal or a valid credit card. Besides this you need contact information and the most recent employment information.
The bottom line is that the ESTA VISA program makes it so much easier for people to enter the US when they are a citizen of one of the approved countries. However, getting approved is not something that is easy for some people. This is because it is always possible that some errors are made with the application forms. If you believe that you do not know how to fill the application form, simply look for people to help you throughout the process since they exist and they make the process flawless.