⚠️ Sensitive information — always check the official source
Visa requirements, quotas, amounts and dates change often. Every fact in this guide was checked against the official source on 2026-09-23 and we re-check it periodically, but before starting any procedure confirm the details on the official links (embassy, consulate or ministry) shown on this page. viajacongus.com does not process visas and does not replace official information.
💵 How much it costs
US$ 40,27 per application, in force since 1 January 2026. We checked it on 23/09/2026 on the official site itself, which says so in two places: «Valid credit card (MasterCard, VISA, American Express, and Discover (JCB, Diners Club)) or PayPal to pay the US $40.27 per application» and «Fee for application is $40.27 USD». THE BREAKDOWN MATTERS, because it changes what you pay if you are refused: «Processing Fee. All applicants requesting an electronic travel authorization are charged US $10.27 for the processing of the application. Authorization Fee. If your application is approved and you receive authorization to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, an additional US $30.00 will be added to your payment method. This is comprised of the $17 travel promotion fee and the $13 General Fund fee. If your electronic travel authorization is denied, you are only charged for the processing of your application». In other words: approved, US$ 40,27; refused, US$ 10,27 and nothing is refunded. PRICE HISTORY, so it does not catch you off guard: it was US$ 21 until 30 September 2025, went up to US$ 40 that day under the HR-1 law (Public Law 119-21) and to US$ 40,27 on 1 January 2026 through the DHS inflation adjustment. The site itself confirms it: «The fee ... has increased from $40.00 to $40.27» and «CBP systems updates required to collect the new fee amount are scheduled to be effective on January 1, 2026». OFFICIAL DISCREPANCY WE ARE DECLARING TO YOU: the regulation, 8 CFR 217.5(h), still says something else —«Through September 30, 2027, the fee for an approved ESTA is $21... In the event the ESTA application is denied, the fee is $4»—. The regulatory text is out of date; what is actually charged is the US$ 40,27 on the portal. You pay with MasterCard, Visa, American Express, Discover (JCB, Diners Club) or PayPal, and CBP clarifies that «CBP is not responsible for any additional fees that may be charged by your credit/debit card company or PayPal for the transaction».
⏳ How long it takes
NOT PUBLISHED as a number. CBP does not publish a processing time; it publishes a recommendation on how far in advance to apply, and today it words it like this: «ESTA applications may be submitted at any time prior to travel, though it is recommended that travelers apply as soon as they begin preparing travel plans or prior to purchasing airline tickets». Before buying the tickets, it says. The system itself adds «CBP recommends that you apply for ESTA at the time you book your travel». In practice the answer is usually immediate, but there are three possible outcomes and one of them has no deadline: «Authorization Pending. Your travel authorization is under review because an immediate determination could not be made for your application... You will be notified when a determination has been made». WARNING ABOUT AN OLD FACT THAT STILL CIRCULATES A LOT: the «no less than 72 hours before boarding» rule NO LONGER appears on the CBP page we read on 23/09/2026, nor is it in the regulation. What the regulation does say, 8 CFR 217.5(b)(1), is the legal minimum: you must have the authorization «prior to boarding a carrier destined for travel to the United States». Before getting on the plane, not on arrival. Filling in the form takes, according to CBP, «23 minutes».
📅 How long it's valid
Two years from approval, or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. It is in the regulation, 8 CFR 217.5(d)(1): «A travel authorization issued under ESTA will be valid for a period of two years from the date of issuance, unless the passport of the authorized alien will expire in less than two years, in which case the authorization will be valid until the date of expiration of the passport». Within that validity you can enter and leave as many times as you like. NOW THE PART EVERYONE GETS CONFUSED, which CBP took the trouble to clarify: «Receiving ESTA authorization does not mean you may stay in the U.S. for two years. It only allows you to travel to the U.S. under the terms of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), which only allows you to stay in the U.S. for 90 days or less». Two years of validity, 90 days of stay per trip. And on coming back in frequently: «there should be a reasonable amount of time between visits so that the CBP Officer does not think you are trying to live here. There is no set requirement for how long you must wait between visits». Published exception: nationals of Brunei get one year instead of two as of 6 July 2023. If your ESTA expires while you are inside, nothing happens when you leave: «If your ESTA expires while in the U.S., it will not affect your departure».
👤 Who needs it?
Here is the fact that saves a lot of people a nasty surprise: of our TWENTY-EIGHT nationalities, only SEVEN can use ESTA, and NONE of them is Latin American except Chile. We read the full list of VWP designated countries published by the State Department and the seven that apply to us are: GERMANY, ANDORRA, AUSTRALIA, CHILE, DENMARK, SPAIN and ITALY. The other twenty-one —Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Dominican Republic, Suriname, Uruguay, Venezuela and, obviously, the United States, which needs nothing— are NOT in the VWP: with those passports you have to get the B-1/B-2 visa at the consulate. There is no shortcut, no exception and no «ESTA for Argentines»: whatever is sold under that name is smoke. Also watch out for the exclusions that take you out of the VWP even if you hold one of the seven good passports, which are in the 2015 law and are cited by the State Department itself: having travelled to or been in North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since 1 March 2011; having been in CUBA since 12 January 2021; and holding, in addition to the VWP nationality, that of Cuba, North Korea, Iran, Iraq, Sudan or Syria. Every traveller needs their own, regardless of age: «Even non-ticketed infants are required to have an approved travel authorization». And Canadian citizens with a Canadian passport do not need ESTA.
