How long is ESTA Valid ?

With the ESTA visa application you can travel to the United States as many times as you want, without any limitation, you just have to pay attention to the two-year validity period.

You can stay in the US for up to 90 days per trip.

ESTA is a document that allows you to enter the States for tourism or for work. You will also need to apply for ESTA if you wish to enter the USA to visit family or friends or if, on the other hand, you must make an airplane or a transit in the USA to reach your final destination.

If you are planning a trip to the USA and want to add an intermediate stop or at the end of the trip, to visit Mexico, Canada or a Caribbean island. The days spent in these countries are included in the 90 day calculation.

Let's take an example to understand better.

Example: intermediate stage in Canada

Marco arrives in the United States with his ESTA and stays there for 40 days. He then goes to Canada for another 10 days and then returns to the United States.
Marco will have to add the 10 days spent in Canada to the 90 days calculation.
Your stay will therefore amount to 50 days and will only be able to stay in the USA for another 40 days.

If between one trip to another in the USA, you decide to return to Italy or another European country, your second trip can still last 90 days. In a nutshell you will not have to include the days spent in Italy or Europe in the calculation.

With ESTA authorization it is not possible to leave the USA for a few days and then return, only to trigger the calculation of the 90 days again.

There is no rule indicating a minimum period to be spent between two stays. However, be aware that when you return to the United States, the Customs & Border Portection officers will review your case.

If your trip is suspicious, or if you only left the USA to restart the 90 days allowed and circumvent the law, your ESTA will be canceled.

So if you have to go to the United States for a longer period of time, with returns to Italy or Europe, the best solution is to apply for a US visa. In fact, the 90-day rule does not apply to the visa.

ESTA online authorization is always linked to the passport you had at the time of the request.

If in the meantime your passport has expired, has been lost or if for various reasons, you are in possession of a new passport, you will have to make a new application.

Being the two things connected, when the passport expires also the ESTA will no longer be valid. Furthermore, if, when you completed the ESTA application, you made a mistake in entering your passport data, for example the expiry date, your ESTA is not valid and you will have to make a new request.

If the passport has expired, you must wait to have the new passport before sending the USA ESTA form.

Once you have obtained the new passport, you can request ESTA and enter the new passport data.

Keep in mind that most governments have an urgent procedure to apply for a passport. If you have limited time, you can take advantage of this opportunity to get a new passport in a few days.

ESTA can also be requested with an urgent procedure, in these cases, the authorization is approved and sent within an hour.

Therefore the ESTA visa can lose its validity if you have not respected the maximum length of stay of 90 days in the USA or if you have a new passport.

But there are also other important reasons why an ESTA can be invalidated.

If when you filled in the application for ESTA authorization, you forgot to enter some data or entered incorrect information, the ESTA visa that you will receive by e-mail will not be valid, even if it was an error unconscious.

This is because the U.S. Department of Immigration, which approves and issues ESTA authorizations, does not have access to all personal data of travelers from various countries.

At the time of authorizing the ESTA visa, therefore, he may not notice any errors in completing the online form.

Let's take an example.

If, for an oversight, you enter the incorrect date of birth or you are wrong to type your name or surname, ESTA will still be approved and released, but will not allow you to travel because it is not valid.

If you do not pay attention at the time of compilation, it can happen to notice the error only at the time of check in, once you arrive at the airport.

Before issuing the boarding pass, in fact, the airline will check your passport data and inform you that there is no ESTA authorization in your name or with your date of birth. Even if you hold your approved ESTA authorization in your hand, the airline cannot accept it. In these cases, the only possible solution is to submit a new ESTA application.

If the data entered in the form, when requesting the ESTA electronic travel authorization, are no longer current or have changed, the ESTA will be considered invalid.

In particular, electronic authorization is no longer valid in the following cases:

• If you are using a new passport
• If you have changed your name and surname
• If you've changed nationality or gender
• If you moved to another country
• If your answer to all security questions is no longer "NO"
   

It is important to also remember the cases in which ESTA remains valid in any case and there is no need to submit a new application.

In particular, the authorization remains valid:

• If you change your residence or domicile within the same country
• If the numbers or names to contact in case of emergency change
• If the date of the stay or the address in the USA changes, for example if you decide to stay in another hotel
• If you change the reason for the trip to the USA (*)

(*) The ESTA visa is valid only if the new reason for your trip falls within the ESTA conditions.