Organizing a trip to the USA represents a substantial budget. Between accommodation, round-trip plane tickets, car rental, food and activities, the bill quickly climbs. And let’s not forget the cost of travel authorization. This can be a U.S. visa, obtained from the U.S. embassy, or an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization), one of the latest security measures introduced by the U.S. government to protect American homeland security. And let’s not forget the cost of a biometric passport, as an identity card is not sufficient for a stay outside the Schengen area.

In this article, we take a look at how much an ESTA costs, and compare it with the cost of obtaining a USA visa.

How much does an ESTA cost to travel to the USA?

Have you been surfing the web and can’t understand why there are different ESTA purchase prices? The main difference lies in the method of obtaining the electronic travel authorization and the additional services purchased.

Order ESTA authorization on the official U.S. government website

If you’re used to dealing with administrative formalities, you can apply for an ESTA on the U.S. government’s dedicated website. The ESTA form on the official website takes about 20 minutes to complete. Make sure that you are eligible for ESTA (member of the Visa Waiver Program) and that your stay falls within the scope of the program (transit, tourist or business trip of 90 days or less, with entry to the U.S. by air or sea) before you apply.

To complete the form, you’ll need your electronic or biometric passport and a payment card. The passport will be useful for filling out the first part of the online form, which concerns the traveler’s personal information and passport. The second part of the form concerns your stay in the USA: stay or transit, local address and emergency contact. The last part consists of a questionnaire to determine whether you are a threat to US national security.

The ESTA application must be paid for before it can be processed by ESTA’s own electronic systems. The cost of an ESTA application on the official website is 21 US dollars, with a $4 processing fee and a $17 authorization fee. It should be noted that the money collected from these applications is used, in part, to promote tourism in the USA. The online application must be paid for by credit card or via a Paypal account.

The U.S. authorities will send you a reply within 72 hours of submitting the form. A positive response allows you to travel to the United States as many times as you like during the 2-year validity period (passport validity permitting). A negative response may result in a new ESTA application in the event of an error in the application form, or a U.S. visa application in the event of ineligibility for the Visa Waiver Program.

Order ESTA authorization from a specialized site

There is no set procedure for ordering from a private site, as everything depends on the site in question. Broadly speaking, you should be aware that ESTA applications on these sites will be more expensive because of the additional services they offer. These may include collecting your data, checking the form, providing personalized assistance, opening a customer account and so on.

In most cases, the reason for using a private service provider is to minimize the risk of refusal due to an incorrectly completed ESTA form. Please note that your online form is scanned by electronic systems, which means that if there is a typing error in the passport number or any other data, your ESTA application will be automatically refused.

How much does a visa to the USA cost?

Foreign nationals whose country of citizenship is not a member of the Visa Waiver Program, or whose stay does not meet the required conditions, must apply for a visa at the consular services of the US embassy.

The advantage of the American visa is that it covers all types of travel to the USA. There is a visa for working in the USA, a visa for studying in the USA, an internship, and so on. These are non-immigrant visas, i.e. for temporary stays. The cost of a temporary visa ranges from $185 to $265. To immigrate to the USA, you need a green card. To obtain one, you need an American sponsor or the chance to win the green card lottery. The cost varies widely, depending on the reason for permanent residence, the need for a lawyer, etc.

Obtaining a visa is therefore a costly alternative for travelers, but essential if ESTA is not possible.