The United States government has disclosed that the online Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) application process takes an average of 23 minutes to complete. This was revealed in an official statement published on the US government's website, according to a report by Legit.ng.
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.
How Long Does the ESTA Application Take?
The US government's official website states: "Average time is 23 minutes." This notably brief process eliminates the need for a traditional visa for eligible travellers, allowing them to complete the entire application online without visiting an embassy or consulate.
The ESTA system is designed for citizens of countries that participate in the Visa Waiver Program, which permits short-term stays in the US for tourism, business, or transit. The streamlined process stands in contrast to the standard visa application, which typically requires in-person interviews and considerably more time.
Full List of 42 ESTA-Eligible Countries
The US government has approved 42 countries for the ESTA programme. The eligible nations span Europe, Asia, South America, and the Middle East. Below is the complete list:
- Andorra
- Australia
- Austria
- Belgium
- Brunei
- Chile
- Croatia
- Czech Republic
- Denmark
- Estonia
- Finland
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Hungary
- Iceland
- Ireland
- Israel
- Italy
- Japan
- Latvia
- Liechtenstein
- Lithuania
- Luxembourg
- Republic of Malta
- Monaco
- Netherlands
- New Zealand
- Norway
- Poland
- Portugal
- Qatar
- San Marino
- Singapore
- Slovakia
- Slovenia
- South Korea
- Spain
- Sweden
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- United Kingdom
African Countries Not on the ESTA List
Notably, no African country appears on the list of ESTA-eligible nations. This means 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.
In related news, Legit.ng recently reported that the United States had released a list of countries whose nationals can use the 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.
