The United States Reopens Its Borders: What to Know About Traveling to the USA
On November 8, the United States finally reopened its borders to citizens of more than 30 countries.
This news was met with glee from around the world, especially for intrepid travelers and those who can finally visit their family and friends in the United States.
Although the travel restrictions are lifted for many countries, there are still a handful of entry rules that travelers need to follow before they can enter the United States.
This practical post will go over the current COVID-19 entry requirements for the USA, as well as more information about the ESTA, how to apply, which ESTA questions to expect, and much more.
USA Reopening: What to Expect
In mid-October, the White House formally announced that the US borders will soon reopen, and on November 8, that became a reality.
This proclamation noted that vaccinated travelers from 30+ countries could enter the United States, including the 26 member countries of the European Union (such as Spain, Germany, and Italy), as well as travelers from China, India, Iran, Brazil, the United Kingdom, and South Africa.
At the moment, entry to the USA is only allowed for foreign guests who are fully vaccinated.
The White House noted that the country will accept any vaccine that is approved by the WHO and/or the FDA. This list currently includes 8 vaccines: Janssen (Johnson & Johnson), Pfizer-BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca, Covaxin, Covishield, Sinopharm (BIBP), and Sinovac.
Likewise, all incoming travelers to the United States of America will be asked to provide proof of a negative test result. This can be either an antigen or a Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) test.
For added health and safety measures, airlines will be collecting the contact information (name, phone number, and email address) of all passengers who are traveling to the USA. In case any of the passengers aboard the flight were found to have the coronavirus, the airline can quickly do contact tracing and notify those who were on board.
Finally, travelers will need to have some sort of travel authorization to enter the United States, such as a valid visa or an ESTA.
What is the ESTA?
Citizens of 40 countries are eligible to apply for the ESTA (also known as the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization). This travel authorization replaces the traditional visa needed to enter the United States and, instead, is obtained by filling out an easy online application.
The ESTA is available to citizens of all 26 European Union member states, as well as other countries like Australia, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, and the United Kingdom, among others.
There are many benefits to applying for an ESTA. First and foremost, travelers can use their ESTA to enter the United States for the purposes of tourism, transit, or business.
Likewise, the ESTA is valid for stays of up to 90 days, which means that you can visit bucket list-worthy places like the Grand Canyon without worrying about how many days you have left in the country!
Travelers who are planning to visit the United States many times will be happy to hear that the ESTA is a multiple-entry travel authorization and is valid for 2 years after being issued. This means that you can visit the USA as many times as you wish as long as it is within the validity period of your ESTA.
However, a small word of warning: if your passport is expiring soon, it’s best to renew it before applying for an ESTA. This is because the ESTA is electronically tied to your passport and will expire along with it.
Perhaps the biggest benefit of the ESTA is the super easy application process. All you need is to set aside about 15 minutes to go through the application, answer a few basic questions, pay the processing fee, and that’s it!
The questions on the ESTA application form will ask about your personal information (first name and surname, gender, date of birth), passport data (serial number, nationality, date of issue/expiration), and contact information. There will also be a few questions regarding your health and criminal background (if any).
After filling out the ESTA form, the final step is to pay the processing fee and submit the application. Another plus of applying for the ESTA is that it is usually approved instantly and conveniently sent to your email address.
This means there is no need to visit an embassy in-person, have an interview with an immigration officer, or gather a pile of paperwork. The entire process is simple, easy, and saves hours of time!
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re planning to do an epic road trip across the United States, enjoy the great outdoors in Colorado, get lost in San Francisco, or all of the above, the ESTA will make sure that you have a fun and stress-free vacation — without worrying about entry requirements!