ESTA

How to obtain a visa for the USA?

Whether you’re traveling to the USA for a temporary stay or to settle down permanently, you need a visa to enter the country. In this article, we’ll show you how to obtain a USA visa, and introduce you to an alternative: ESTA.

Obtaining a U.S. visa

There are many different types of visa, depending on the purpose of your trip to the United States (tourism, work, etc.). It is mandatory for anyone wishing to spend more than 90 days on American soil. To obtain a U.S. visa, visit the U.S. consulate or embassy in your country. You will then be given a visa application form. You must return it with the following information:

These are the main documents, but you may be asked to provide other documents . To obtain a USA visa, you will also be required to attend an interview at the US embassy . The purpose of this interview is to ascertain your motivation for a stay in the USA. Among other things, you’ll be asked to state the length of your stay, and to provide information about yourself (health, criminal record, etc.).

You need to be prepared for this interview at . The American authorities are uncompromising and take no risks when it comes to issuing visas.

It is advisable to start the process of obtaining your USA visa, several weeks or even months before you leave for the USA. At , processing times can be very long.

Is it compulsory to obtain a USA visa?

A USA visa is mandatory for anyone wishing to stay in the United States for more than 90 days. However, it is not mandatory for a category of people wishing to travel to the United States for 90 days or less. The people concerned by this visa exemption are citizens of countries covered by the Visa Waiver Program. The purpose of this program is to facilitate human exchanges and flows to the United States. Here are the countries chosen for their high security standards:

Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Chile, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, New Zealand, Norway, Poland, Portugal, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan and United Kingdom.

The ESTA travel authorization was created as part of this program.

An alternative to a visa: ESTA

What is an ESTA?

The ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) has been mandatory since 2009 for travel to the USA for tourism, business or transit purposes. It acts as a pass to land on American soil without a visa. However, it in no way guarantees entry into the country. This decision is made by customs officials at your final destination airport. As a French national, you must apply for an ESTA at least 72 hours before leaving for the United States.

How do I obtain an ESTA?

To apply for ESTA travel authorization, you need to fill in an online form at . You can apply online at from the U.S. government website. The ESTA form is divided into three parts:

To obtain ESTA authorization, you need a valid biometric or electronic passport. If your passport has expired, or if you hold an old generation (optical) passport, you need to apply for a new passport at your local town hall. Make sure you answer all the questions carefully. A minor error on the form could be enough to result in a refusal by the extremely intransigent American authorities .

If, unfortunately, your ESTA application is refused for a particular reason: you have committed an offence on the other side of the Atlantic, you have already traveled to Syria, Iran, Iraq, Yemen, Libya, Somalia or Sudan since March 1, 2011, your criminal record is not clean of certain serious offences… You must apply to the US embassy or consulate in your country for a visa to travel to the USA. If you wish to settle permanently and work in the USA, it is advisable to apply for a green card. It is possible to obtain a USA visa for permanent residence by participating in the annual “green card lottery”.