US Announces Duration of ESTA Application, Lists 42 Countries Eligible to Enter America Without Visa
- The US government revealed that the online ESTA application process takes an average of 23 minutes to complete
- ESTA allows citizens of qualifying countries to travel to the United States without applying for a traditional visa
- The US listed countries whose nationals are eligible to use the ESTA system, spanning Europe, Asia, and beyond
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The United States government has disclosed how long citizens of qualifying countries should expect to spend completing the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), the online travel authorisation that removes the need for a traditional visa.
According to an official statement published on the US government's website, the process is notably brief, as it takes an average of 23 minutes.
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What ESTA is and who qualifies
The website says:
"Average time is 23 minutes," the government wrote.
ESTA is an automated system that determines whether citizens from certain countries are eligible to travel to or enter the United States without going through the full visa application process. The authorisation applies to short-term visits for tourism, transit, or business purposes.
The US government has approved countries for the programme.
Below is the full list of eligible nations:
1. Andorra
2. Australia
3. Austria
4. Belgium
5. Brunei
6. Chile
7. Croatia
8. Czech Republic
9. Denmark
10. Estonia
11. Finland
12. France
13. Germany
14. Greece
15. Hungary
16. Iceland
17. Ireland
18. Israel
19. Italy
20. Japan
21. Latvia
22. Liechtenstein
23. Lithuania
24. Luxembourg
25. Republic of Malta
26. Monaco
27. Netherlands
28. New Zealand
29. Norway
30. Poland
31. Portugal
32. Qatar
33. San Marino
34. Singapore
35. Slovakia
36. Slovenia
37. South Korea
38. Spain
39. Sweden
40. Switzerland
41. Taiwan
42. United Kingdom
African countries not on the ESTA list
Notably, no African country appears on the list of ESTA-eligible nations, meaning travellers from countries such as Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya, and South Africa must continue to apply for a US visa through the standard consulate process, which is considerably more time-consuming and involves in-person interviews.
The qualifying countries are drawn largely from Western Europe, alongside a handful of nations from Asia, South America, and the Middle East.
Citizens from these countries can complete the entire ESTA process online in under half an hour, with no embassy visit required.
US mentions countries eligible for ESTA
Meanwhile, Legit.ng recently reported that the United States had released a list of countries whose nationals can use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) to travel to America.
The ESTA allows eligible citizens to visit the US for tourism, business, or transit purposes without first securing a conventional visa.
Source: Legit.ng
