When you want to travel to the US, you need to make sure you have registered for an ESTA so that you don’t have any issues at the border or the US after arriving. Before you register for an ESTA, you need to ask yourself if you will be travelling with your family or not. If you are travelling with your whole family, and you have children, the next question to ask yourself is, do children need an ESTA? Go through all the regulations given to you, and when you find out that your child requires an esta to travel to the US, the next step is to find out how you can apply for your child’s ESTA.
How you can apply for your child’s ESTA
Applying for an ESTA is crucial for anyone planning to travel to the US for business, tourism or transit purposes. The good thing is that the application procedure is very easy, and you don’t have to go to the embassy to carry out the registration process—all you need to do is visit their online page and register from there. The steps you need to follow when applying for an ESTA include the following;
- Finish up the online application by issuing basic data about the traveller, including the traveller’s name, date of birth and passport number. Other than this, you will have to answer some questions about the reason for your travel and how long you will be staying there.
- The moment you have finally submitted your application, it will be reviewed by the US. Customs and Border Protection (CBP).
- After your application has been reviewed, all you have to do is to wait for feedback from CBP. Once your application has been approved, you will get an email notification that has all your ESTA details. But if the application gets declined, your child will finally have a visa to be permitted to enter the US.
Once all your documents are in order, remember to print out a copy of your ESTA as you will need it at the airport, and you will also be asked to provide evidence to show that the child you are travelling with is your child.
Conditions that children must fulfil for them to get an ESTA
- The first thing a parent needs to know is that the ESTA is only sufficient for an exclusive stay in the US. The rules state that the visit should not be over three months or more than ninety days.
- The reason for your child’s visit should only be for tourist purposes. If your child wants to stay in the US for educational purposes, they need to apply for a certain visa, not an ESTA.
Conclusion
When you decide to travel with your children, make sure you follow the instructions listed above so that you don’t end up missing your flight because you don’t have the right documents to allow you to travel. Also make sure your child meets the conditions above to get their esta.