How Long Is an ESTA Valid?

An ESTA lasts two years from the day it's approved, or until the passport it's linked to expires, whichever comes first. If you already hold one, the fee change on 16 October 2026 doesn't touch it, and you only pay the new amount when you next apply. The one thing we'd do today is look up the expiry date on every ESTA in the family, because each person's clock runs on its own.

Your ESTA ends at two years or when your passport does

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) sets the rule: an approved ESTA is valid for two years from the date of authorisation, or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner. So a passport with 14 months left gives you an ESTA with 14 months left. The approval screen shows the exact expiry date, which saves you working it out.

CBP also emails the address on your application when your ESTA is due to expire within the next 30 days. We wouldn't rely on that email alone: it can land in spam or an old inbox, so note the date somewhere you'll see it when you book.

Inside those two years, one ESTA covers as many trips as you like. Each visit under the Visa Waiver Program is still limited to 90 days or less, and CBP is clear that a two-year approval doesn't mean a two-year stay.

The one exception is Brunei, where CBP has cut the validity period for citizens and nationals to one year.

It only has to be valid on the day you land

CBP says an ESTA needs to be valid on arrival in the United States, not for your whole stay. If it expires while you're there, that won't affect your departure. The next trip is a different matter, and you'll need a fresh approval before you fly again.

Here's how that plays out. Say your ESTA expires on the 10th of a month and you land on the 3rd for a fortnight. It's valid when you arrive, and CBP says it running out halfway through the holiday won't affect your departure. Book the next trip after the 10th, though, and you'll need a new one first.

You can't extend an ESTA, but you can reapply early

There's no extension. CBP says existing authorisations can't be extended, and you don't have to wait for one to expire before applying again. Your new application cancels and replaces the old one.

CBP recommends applying when you book your travel, and it's a habit worth keeping. If your ESTA runs out a few weeks before a trip, apply the day the trip is booked rather than the week you fly.

Four changes mean a new ESTA

CBP lists four situations where you need a new travel authorisation:

• A new passport. CBP says a new passport, or any change to your passport information, means applying again. Our post on renewing before your passport expires covers what else changes with a new passport number.
• A change of name.
• A change of country of citizenship.
• A changed answer to any of the yes-or-no eligibility questions on the application.

Once an application is approved, CBP lets you update only two things: your email address and your address in the US. Anything else that's wrong or out of date means a new application, so read every field before you pay.

Every traveller needs their own, including babies

Children of any age need their own ESTA approval, CBP says, including infants who don't have a ticket of their own. Each child also needs their own unexpired passport, because a child who's only listed on a parent's passport doesn't qualify.

Nobody expects a toddler to fill in a form. A parent or anyone else can apply on a traveller's behalf, and the ESTA website has a group status check for families who applied together. Still, each expiry date is worth checking separately, since each ESTA is tied to a different passport and every passport has its own expiry date.

The fee rose on 16 October, and existing approvals are unaffected

According to the Federal Register notice published on 1 October 2026, the ESTA fee rose from US $40.27 to US $40.62, charged from 16 October 2026. If you already hold a valid, approved ESTA, CBP says you don't need to reapply. You'll pay the new amount when you next apply.

The same notice sets a lower fee of US $10.62 if an application is denied, which covers the cost of processing it.

Expect the figure to move again. The law behind it requires the fee to be adjusted for inflation every year, so check the current amount on the official ESTA website before you apply.

Apply on the official ESTA website, not a lookalike

Some third-party websites charge more than the official fee. CBP says they won't speed up approval, they aren't endorsed by or affiliated with the Department of Homeland Security, and CBP can't refund what you paid them. Apply on the official ESTA website run by CBP.

That's also where you check a status. Choose "Check ESTA Status", then "Check Individual Status", or "Check Group Status" for a family application. If you've lost the application number, you can find the application with your passport number, country of citizenship, passport issue and expiry dates, and date of birth. The details have to match what you entered exactly.

Keep a copy of the approval, even though nobody asks for it

US regulations don't require you to show a printed ESTA page to travel. CBP still recommends printing a copy for your records, and we'd go one step further and keep the approval somewhere you can reach on your phone too. It has the application number and the expiry date, which are the two things you'll want if you ever need to check a status or plan the next trip.

What we'd check the day you book a US trip

Four checks take a few minutes:

• Every traveller has an approved ESTA, babies included.
• Each ESTA is still valid on your arrival date. It only has to be valid when you land.
• Nobody has a new passport, a new name or a new citizenship since their ESTA was approved.
• Every application went through the official ESTA website, not a lookalike that charged extra.

An approved ESTA isn't a guarantee of entry

Approval means you're eligible to travel under the Visa Waiver Program, not that you'll be admitted, since CBP officers make that decision when you arrive.

Before you rely on this: it's a blog, not an official source. Rules and details change, and your situation may be different. We check what we publish, and we can still be wrong or out of date. If something here matters to your plans, confirm it with the authority that handles it before you act.