Traveling to the USA – Esta Fee $14 per person

If your planning a holiday to the USA or for buisness in the next 2 years, save the $14 per person fee and apply now.

A family of four will save $56, or about £40, by applying early. All passengers travelling under the Visa Waiver Program must have a valid ESTA to gain entry to the USA.

The US has just set the fee for using the – Electronic System for Travel Authorization or Esta at $14 per person, including all credit card charges and it will be introduced from September 8 2010.

However if you are considering a holiday to the USA, you can still apply for the free version which is valid for 2 years, so apply now.. https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

Visit USA’s chief operating officer Alan Waddell said holidaymakers could complete the Esta process before the fee was introduced next month even if they did not plan to go to the US immediately.

“It lasts for two years so you can do it now and avoid the fee,” he said. “Esta allows travel for two years, so even if you’re not planning to go to the US for some time, you can still sign up.”

The $14 charge is higher than the $10 fee originally announced – US border authorities said $4 of each fee would be used to cover the costs of administrating the system.

The Visit USA Association had feared that the eventual cost to the holidaymaker could be as high as $20.

“We thought it could be around the $17-$20 mark so it’s a bonus that it is lower,” said Waddell.

The remaining $10 will be used to fund a new organisation set up to promote tourism under the Travel Promotion Act, which came into law this year.

The fee will be imposed from September 8 and all payments will have to be made by card or debit card at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. The system accepts only MasterCard, Visa, American Express and Discover.