Details of visa requirements for French citizens

Introduction

ESTA calls for Travel Authorization Electronic System. ESTA is an electronic computer software created by the United States Government to pre-screen travelers before boarding a plane or ship headed to the United States. Any person entering the United States under the Visa Waiver System will be required to hold an approved ESTA as of 12 January2009. Applications for a U.S. visa would be required for foreigners who are not eligible for an ESTA or who have been denied an ESTA.

What is the Visa Waiver Program (VWP)?

The Visa Waiver System allows individuals from participating countries to travel to the United States as non-immigrants for industry, tourism, transit, and medical purposes. Travelers arriving in the U.S. under the VWP are permitted to stay up to 90 days per visit and are not required to obtain additional travel permits, such as a U.S. visa. Currently, there are 39 countries participating in the VWP. Individuals traveling under the VWP tend to waive their right to review or appeal. Thus, obtaining an approved ESTA does not guarantee the entry of travelers into the United States.

Who can qualify for admission to the Visa Waiver Program? 

You will be eligible to apply for admission to the Visa Waiver Program (Visa Waiver Program) if; 

You intend to enter the United States for 90 days or less for business, tourism, or transit purposes. 

You have the authorization to travel through the Electronic Travel Authorization System.

You arrive via the signatory air or sea carrier Visa Waiver Program. 

You’ve got a ticket back or forward. 

Unless the traveler is residing in one of those places, the voyage may not end in contiguous territories or neighboring islands.

Is an ESTA like a visa?

No, this isn’t a visa. It does not comply with the legal or regulatory requirements to operate in place of a U.S. visa if a visa is necessary under national law. People who hold a valid visa will still be capable of traveling to the United States on that visa for the purpose for which it was provided. In addition, people traveling on valid U.S. visas are not allowed to apply for an ESTA.

What are the benefits of ESTA?

     Can be used for multiple entries

     Online desktop or mobile application

     Two years of validity or the date of expiry of the passport, whichever is earlier

     Decisions on ESTA applications are usually made instantaneously.

What are the visa requirements for French citizens are they eligible for ESTA?

French citizens can apply for an ESTA visa waiver to travel to the United States. The ESTA allows French people to enter the U.S. for travel, industry, transportation, medical and short study purposes without a visa for up to 90 days per entry. Security measures intended to address the threat of terrorism, however, required travelers to be pre-screened prior to their arrival in the United States.

How long is my ESTA valid?

Unless revoked, travel authorizations shall be valid for two years from the date of authorization or until the date of expiry of your passport, whichever comes first. However, an ESTA may also be revoked or overwritten by the applicant when resubmitting a new ESTA application. Your travel authorization will also be automatically revoked when your passport expires before the end of the two-year period that the travel authorization has been released.

What are the passport requirements for ESTA?

• You must have a France passport.
• You must have a passport with a machine-readable section on the biographical page.
• Your permit has to be valid at the time of your ESTA application and at the time of your departure to the United States. When your ESTA approval expires while you are in the U.S., you do not need to apply for a new ESTA but ensure that you do not remain in the country for at least 90 days during your visit. You cannot amend an ESTA permit when in the United States. If your ESTA expires, you must leave the country within 90 days of your passport is stamped at the most recent U.S. border crossing. Visitors wishing to stay in the United States for more than 90 days must receive a visa by visiting the nearest United States. Embassy or Consulate and apply for an effective visa on the basis of their travel status.
• You need to have an electronic passport with a chip(the chip contains the biometric data of the passport holder). As of 1 April 2016, all travelers visiting the U.S. by using the ESTA policy should have a Passport with an electronic chip, NOTE: you may not be able to use an ESTA if you do not hold an electronic chip in your passport to visit the U.S. Except it cannot be determined that your passport has an electronic chip, you may be denied to lodge an inbound U.S. aircraft.

What Are the Steps to apply ESTA through the Click2visas site?

It is quite simple to complete the request. Please follow the below steps carefully:

1. Choose the departure and arrival country, select the required visa type, enter your name, and click ‘CLICK TO START.’

2. Verify the visa fee and terms and conditions on the next page.

3. On the third page, enter your basic details in the respective field and upload the necessary documents (you can upload the documents in a later stage also).

4. After that, review and confirm the information of your form, then proceed with the payment. We support all types of cards for payment.

5. You will receive the invoice and a confirmation mail with a link in your registered email id.

6. Click the link and complete the remaining form (you can also upload the document in this stage) and submit it for processing.

7. Once the ESTA is approved, click2visas will send your visa to your email in PDF format.

What is the processing time for ESTA?

If the necessary information has been entered, the system processes the application to travel to the U.S. under the Visa Waiver Program. It could take up to 72 hours to process your request, but most applications are accepted within minutes or a couple of hours.