Attention All US-bound Travellers
British Travellers due to fly to America from next week will be obliged to complete an electronic approval form, issued by US authorities, before departure.
This green card replacement, named the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), was introduced last January but will become mandatory from 20th January this year. Once approved, an ESTA is vaild for two years and allows travellers multiple entries into the US.
Currently, applying for an ESTA is free of charge. However, a US senate vote last September suggests that a minimum fee of $10 may be charged in the near future. Telegraph Travel carried out an online poll asking whether this fee would put readers off visiting the US – 44% said Yes.
This perceived tax on tourism is yet another reason for the decline in UK to US visits in recent years, unexplained, strict security procedures being another.
Source: Telegraph.co.uk
