I (Australian citizen) am travelling from Auckland to Montreal via SFO - same ticket, but different airlines; fly in on Air NZ to the internat. terminal and out, after 100 mins, same calendar day, on Air Canada, but from one of the other terminals. So it would appear that I will have to go through immigration. Will I need an ESTA, or will my onward ticket be enough? Everything I have read suugests I probably will have to get one, but I haven't seen anything quite specific to such a small window of presence in the US of A. 17 days till departure from Oz (a bit longer till those flights); I think I have to apply about now, unless someone has some (welcome) contrary and specific knowledge. Thanks, mg
ESTA for airport-only stop-over
>Will I need an ESTA, or will my onward ticket be enough? Everything I have read suugests I probably will have to get one, but I haven't seen anything quite specific to such a small window of presence in the US of A.
If you'll be going through US Customs ('immigration'/border control) it makes absolutely no difference how long you're there for. If you enter the US you need an ESTA or a visa. Having an onward ticket is not proof that you intend to leave the US once you've entered!
Use the official Esta site below (there are several scam sites which charge extra) and don't leave it until the last minute. Esta approval isn't instant.
[ Edit: Edited on 26 Mar 2024, 09:52 GMT by leics2 ]
Thanks, LEICS2, I thought as much, but was hoping to dodge around it. Not so much the expense, as the hassle - uploading a stupid photo. Sadly, but understandable, USA is, certainly like Australia, not among the traveller-friendly countries; among which, in this regard, I can list Kazakhstan, UAE, Tajikistan and China. Thanks again. I will get to it today.
Postscript: I eventually accepted that I would need the ESTA. Went to the local library to scan and upload passport photo - not accepted by ESTA authority; only accepts @#!%+$! mobile phone uploads. had phone with me, but not USB cable. Went home for that,then thought, "if I can upload from a mobile, why not do that from my laptop at home?" My main laptop is on Linux, which is generally functional, except if I am required to show one synapse worth of technical competence. Couldn't upload it to that. Tried my older, retired-to-desktop duties, laptop, on Windows. Imported the photo - yay! But couldn't connect to the internet. Went back into the library, with phone and USB. Logged in to library computer, found what seemed to be the correct site (you know where this is going), got through the whole procedure, till "pay." What's this, $99 (US)? - thought it was about twenty. Normally that would have been enough of a red flag, but with all the trouble so far, I wanted to believe this was over. Pressed "okay" - almost immediately knew that was wrong. Searched "ESTA scam sites," and got the expected news, such as that "the first four sites you encounter will be scammers." Went to a public phone box (my phone almost out of credit), rang the bank, told them and they said they would see what they could do. Went back home, succeeding with the old-computer internet connection, found the correct site, went through the whole process, got the ESTA. Shortly thereafter, message from the earlier scam site saying (as thought they were the real deal) that their fraternal agengy... Customs, Border, whatever, had declined my application; if that was by wish then fine, etc. Moment of panic, then realization, from contradictory information at bottom of page, that it was all fake. Went back to my site and found the AUD152 (=99US) had been restored. I was lucky. Till this time, I had always laughed at the carelessness of scam victims, but it is easy to get sucked in if circumstances weaken your resistance.
Sorry you were scammed. Many get caught out. That's why I posted the link to the official Esta site....
I agree the (new) requirement to upload a photo is a real pain. I managed it by scanning a photo on my printer then uploading it via my Windows desktop.
To be fair, why would the US care about being 'traveller-friendly'? It's much more concerned with illegal immigration ...and it certainly doesn't need income from foreign tourists. I suspect Australia feels much the same....
[ Edit: Edited on 1 Apr 2024, 12:19 GMT by leics2 ]
"True" to the last statement; and if I knew more exact details, I would probably advise anyone against travelling to Australia. I have just now posted an analogous query on the topic of compulsory insurance re: the same transit. It is, financially speaking, a much bigger issue. The US already bludgeons its own citizens over medical expenses. Why should foreigners be exempt? Also, while I don't believe that tourist income is a negligible matter for US policy makers, it would be proportionally smaller than for somewhere like Australia which, I agree, is likely at least as brutal to travellers. For both countries, these imposts possibly act as a filter. Penny-pinchers such as myself will probably be discouraged, whereas the better-heeled will barely notice them. I had half begun to think, well, I've got the stupid ESTA now, perhaps I will make use of it within the two years. But if this insurance question goes as I fear, that will be out the window; which might be just fine as far as the US is concerned, although I believe that might be a mistaken attitude. We gravel-crushers (my adaptation) might be an underrated factor in leavening the tourist market.
I've answered your insurance question. You don't need it.
Foreigners/visitors are most certainly not exempt from the massive medical charges levied in the US. So it would, of course, be madness to visit the US for any length of time without decent travel health insurance, not least because the (substantial) financial cost of treatment/repatriation of you or your body would fall on family. I simply wouldn't risk that happening but, for a transit visit of only a few hours, I would calculate the risk of physical harm to be so small as not to require travel health insurance.
I visit the US regularly simply because close family live there. Magnificent though the landscape is, I wouldn't bother otherwise: it's neither a lifestyle nor a culture which particulary appeals to me.
Thanks leics2. Pretty comfortable with all that now. I was a bit tardy to respond due to minor login issue. Just on the insurance risk: from the traeller's own perspective, rather than any legal requirements. Everyone I have spoken to reacts as though it woiuld be extremely irresponsible to take my course. My sister told me about some Australian woman she had encountered in Italy with a leg in plaster due to a skiing (or cycling, perhaps) injury. Don't remember if she had the insurance, but there is apparently a reciprocal arrangement btw Australia and Italy. Okay, that's one person who could have had a bad outcome if in a different (non-reciprocal) country and without insurance; but what about the other trainloads and planeloads of people she saw without plastered limbs, whom she didn't notice, because you don't notice what is normal. Jus a little while ago I heard about some psychological research which found that people are typically much more motivated to avoid a financial loss than they are to attain an equivalent gain. No-one ever says, when a 100 to 1 horse comes in, to all those who didn't back it: You idot! You've just lost $30,000, just because you were too stingy to outlay that responsible, modest $300. Thanks again. very helpful
Let me make it crystalclear that for a transit of a very few hours I might not bother with US-specific travel insurance but for any longer....and for a stay of anything other than a very few hours in any other country...I would most certainly ensure I had proper travel health insurance cover which includes repatriation costs.
And even for a short transit it's worth pondering: What happens if you slip & break an ankle or wrist when transiting? What happens if an elderly person behind you stumbles and accidentally pushes you down the stairs? What happens if you're hit by a car or the inter-terminal bus has an accident? Accidents and unforseen incidents happen everywhere every day.
>Everyone I have spoken to reacts as though it woiuld be extremely irresponsible to take my course.
Most people would feel exactly the same...and it's a form of arrogance too: 'It won't happen to me'. You're choosing to potentially place a huge financial burden on your close family (not to mention stress and distress) simply to save a little money.
No-one, however young, fit and/or healthy, is exempt from a trip or slip which breaks a limb, from food-poisoning which requires hospital treatment, from being involved in a car, bus, train accident....
I cannot understand this whole discussion about travel-health-insurance. What is so difficult? It is totally normal for any experienced traveller to have a good health-insurance. There are some very inexpensive around, which are good for a full year. So where is the problem?