Travelers from 40 world countries who can enter the United States visa-free, will have to pay a 70 percent higher fee for the Electronic System Travel Authorization (ESTA), starting from May 26, 2022.
The American ESTA is issued to travelers from countries under the US Waiver Program, including Australians, Canadians, and most Europeans, enabling them to enter the US for tourism and business purposes without the need to apply for a visa first.
While so far, the travel promotion fee for an ESTA has been $10 now the same has increased to $17, thus marking an increase of 70 percent. Given that travelers also need to pay an additional $4 operational fee, which hasn’t changed, the overall fee will increase to $21.
“Through September 30, 2027, the fee for an approved ESTA is $21, which is the sum of two amounts: A $17 travel promotion fee to fund the Corporation for Travel Promotion and a $4 operational fee to at least ensure recovery of the full costs of providing and administering the system. In the event the ESTA application is denied, the fee is $4 to cover the operational costs,” reads a final rule published in the Daily Journal of the United States Government by the US Customs and Border Protection.
While the rule has been published in the Journal on May 20, according to the CBP, the decision will become effective on Thursday, May 26, VisaGuide.World.
Since an ESTA is valid for a period of two years, travelers already holding a valid ESTA do not need to reapply or to pay anything extra, since their travel authorizations will remain unaffected by the move. Once or about the time their ESTA is about to expire, they will have to pay a total fee of $21 instead of $14, in order to obtain their new US entry authorization.
In spite of the increase, applying for an ESTA is way cheaper than applying for a US tourist/business visa, which cost $160.
Experts Say Inflation Has Its Part in the Increase of ESTA Fee, But Not Only
The 70 percent increase in the ESTA travel promotion is caused by the inflation that has hit the whole world, including the travel and tourism sector, but not only, experts from VisaGuide.World believe.
According to travel analyst and editor-in-chief Lum Kamishi, the increase in this fee is not surprising, or uncommon, given that when ESTA was first introduced, it was completely free.
Related: VisaGuide.World predicts incomes from ESTA to increase by 73%
“In 2009, when ESTA was first introduced, it was completely free. Later a fee of $10 was introduced, whereas in 2015, the same increase to $14. This amount has not changed up until now. The increase is completely normal and quite understandable, as the previous $10 is used by the authorities to promote tourism. Due to inflation, and the stagnation tourism has experienced throughout the coronavirus pandemic, it is clear that the US is trying to increase the budget for the sector, and give it a boost,” Kamishi asserts.
He also points out that even US visa fees increase or decrease time after time, due to different factors, including here increased processing costs. In September last year, the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) evaluated that the US would lose $425 million a day, or nearly $3 billion per week until the end of the same year, due to a drop in the number of tourists traveling to the country. The Council, however, foresees a strong recovery of the sector until next year.