Applying for an ESTA for the United States, step by step

Before booking anything non-refundable, there’s one formality to deal with: the ESTA. It’s the electronic travel authorisation that lets Belgians, and nationals of other countries, enter the United States without a visa as tourists.

It’s done online, in an official app, in about twenty minutes, but a few pitfalls are worth dwelling on.

The ESTA in brief

The ESTA	What to remember
What is it?	A travel authorisation (not a visa) under the Visa Waiver Program, of which Belgium is a member.
Who is it for?	Every Belgian traveller, children and babies included: each person has their own ESTA.
What for?	Tourism, visiting family, a short business trip, transit. Not for working or studying.
Length of stay	90 days maximum per entry. So you can make several stays, of 90 days maximum each time. Long stays close together can still be refused at the border, though: the immigration officer has the final say.
Validity	2 years, or until your passport expires if that comes first. During those 2 years you can make several trips without applying again.
Price	40.27 dollars per person since 1 January 2026. The fee was 21 dollars until September 2025, then 40 dollars; it’s now indexed to inflation every year.
Processing time	Often an answer within a few minutes, but the authorities ask you to apply at least 72 hours before departure.

Before you start: the right app

Since early 2026, a new application can only be made through the official ESTA Mobile app (on the App Store and Google Play, publisher: U.S. Customs and Border Protection). The official website, esta.cbp.dhs.gov (the domain ends in .gov), is still used to check the status of an application, but when you click on “New application” it sends you to the app.

What you need to hand

• An electronic passport (biometric) valid for the whole of your stay. All current Belgian passports are. Belgium is among the countries exempt from the “six months’ remaining validity” rule: a passport valid until your return date is enough (we still keep a margin, in case of a delayed flight).
• A smartphone with a camera and, ideally, NFC switched on (to read the chip in the passport).
• An address in the United States: that of your first hotel is enough. If you’re doing a road trip with no fixed bookings, give the first night.
• An email address and a phone number.
• The details of a contact person (in Belgium or in the United States).
• Your employment details (employer, address, position), optional but requested.
• A bank card (Visa, Mastercard, American Express) for payment.

The application, step by step

1. Download the ESTA Mobile app and choose “Individual application” (or “Group application” if you’re doing the whole family’s at once: handy, a single payment).
2. Scan the identity page of the passport, then the chip by holding the phone against the passport. Then reread every field: a typo in the passport number makes the ESTA unusable.
3. Take a selfie in the app (with motion detection). Do it somewhere well lit, without glasses or a cap, against a plain background: applications have been refused or cancelled because of a badly framed photo.
4. Fill in the personal information: any other nationalities, parents, address, employment.
5. Answer the eligibility questions. These are the famous yes/no questions (illnesses, criminal record, previous overstays, and so on). Read them calmly: a box ticked wrongly through inattention can lead to a refusal.
6. Check the whole summary, then pay.
7. Note your application number. It lets you come back to the file and check its status.

The possible answers

Answer	What it means
Authorization Approved	You’re good to go. You have nothing to print, as the ESTA is linked electronically to your passport. We still keep a screenshot or a PDF, in case the airline asks.
Authorization Pending	The application is being checked. Come back within 72 hours.
Travel Not Authorized	The ESTA is refused. You then have to apply for a B1/B2 tourist visa at the US embassy in Brussels, which takes several weeks, or even several months.

The cases where the ESTA isn’t enough

Some Belgian travellers can’t use the ESTA and must apply for a visa:

• those who have travelled since 1 March 2011 to Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen, or to Cuba since 12 January 2021 (exemptions exist for diplomatic, humanitarian, journalistic or business travel);
• those who have already overstayed on a previous visit;
• those with a criminal record for certain offences;
• those who also hold the nationality of Cuba, Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Sudan or Syria.

Our advice

• Do it early, ideally before booking the flights, even if you’re leaving in six months. It’s valid for two years.
• New passport = new ESTA. If you renew your passport in the meantime, the old authorisation is no longer valid.
• Answer everything honestly. A lie discovered at the border can mean being refused entry and banned from future trips.
• Check your status a few days before departure in the app or on the official website, with your passport number.
• If someone close to you does it for you, still reread the information: it’s your name on it.

For our part, we were a little stressed, and it all turned out quicker and simpler than expected. We reread the details several times before submitting the form, and the authorisation came through the following evening. We had chosen to apply before booking the flights, to be sure.

The logical next step: going through immigration and customs on arrival.