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Most visitors from Europe need an ESTA ($40.62, two years) before they fly, can use the free Mobile Passport Control app from their second ESTA trip, and only some passports, such as the UK, the Netherlands and Germany, can get Global Entry.
Your checklist
Pick a passport. Nothing you enter leaves this page.
- ESTANeeded
- Mobile Passport ControlFrom your 2nd ESTA trip
- Global EntryOpen to your passport
This checks the rules that depend on your passport, from official US sources. It can’t check you: CBP decides every ESTA and Global Entry application, and a criminal record, a past customs or immigration violation or an earlier refusal can rule you out. Rules change, so the official site has the final word. Not legal advice.
- To do
Apply for an ESTA
As soon as you start planning
$40.62 on the official site only. A decision usually comes within 72 hours. It lasts two years, or until your passport expires, and covers stays of up to 90 days for holidays, visits and business meetings. Every traveller needs their own, children included, and you need one to transit too. British citizens qualify only with the right of abode in the UK. A new passport or a changed name means a new ESTA. Check your status on the official site before you fly. Copycat sites charge more and don't speed anything up. The real one is esta.cbp.dhs.gov. If you're refused, you pay $10.62 and can still apply for a visa.
Official source: esta.cbp.dhs.gov - To do
Check your passport
It must be an e-passport, with the chip symbol on the cover. It should generally be valid for six months after you leave the US, unless your country is on the exempt list.
Official source: usa.gov - Not for you
Mobile Passport Control: from your second ESTA trip
CBP opens the app to returning ESTA travellers. On your first visit, use the regular lane.
Official source: cbp.gov - Good to know
Global Entry, if you fly to the US often
Allow weeks: background check, then interview
$120 for five years, TSA PreCheck included. You use kiosks on arrival and often skip the officer. Apply online, pass a background check, then do the interview at an enrollment centre or on arrival at a US airport (Enrollment on Arrival). It’s separate from ESTA: you still need your ESTA. First pass a UK background check on GOV.UK (£42, about 10 working days). You get a UK access code to enter in the US application.
Official source: cbp.gov
ESTA, Mobile Passport Control and Global Entry
Three different things. Most visitors from Europe need the first, can use the second from their second trip, and only some passports can get the third.
| ESTA | Mobile Passport Control | Global Entry | |
|---|---|---|---|
| What it is | Permission to travel without a visa | A free app for a faster line on arrival | Trusted traveller membership with kiosks |
| Cost | $40.62 | Free | $120 for 5 years |
| Lasts | 2 years, or until your passport expires | Each trip | 5 years |
| Who | Visa Waiver passports | US citizens and residents, Canadian visitors, returning ESTA travellers | US citizens and residents and 23 partner countries |
| Effort | Online form, usually 72 hours | App only | Background check and interview |
Global Entry, country by country
The 23 countries whose citizens can apply, plus what each one adds at home. Canadians get the same benefits through NEXUS.
| Passport | To visit | Extra step at home | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Argentina | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| Australia | ESTA | After applying, AusCheck invites you to an Australian background check (A$263.50 from age 10), repeated every year of membership. | CBP page |
| Bahrain | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| Brazil | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| Colombia | Visa | We couldn’t confirm whether there’s an extra home-country step. Check CBP’s page for your country. | CBP page |
| Costa Rica | Visa | We couldn’t confirm whether there’s an extra home-country step. Check CBP’s page for your country. | CBP page |
| Croatia | ESTA | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| Dominican Republic | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| El Salvador | Visa | We couldn’t confirm whether there’s an extra home-country step. Check CBP’s page for your country. | CBP page |
| Germany | ESTA | After applying, take your PASSID to a Federal Police (Bundespolizei) office at an EasyPASS airport for the German background check. | CBP page |
| India | Visa | Complete India’s background check through the Passport Seva portal, with an in-person visit in India. CBP warns it can take 6 months to 2 years. | CBP page |
| Japan | ESTA | Within 30 days of getting your PASSID, post your family register (koseki) to Japan’s Immigration Services Agency. From age 14. | CBP page |
| Jordan | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| Mexico | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| Netherlands | ESTA | First set up a Berichtenbox on MijnOverheid and allow the Koninklijke Marechaussee to message you, 24 hours before applying. | CBP page |
| Panama | Visa | We couldn’t confirm whether there’s an extra home-country step. Check CBP’s page for your country. | CBP page |
| Saudi Arabia | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| Singapore | ESTA | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| South Korea | ESTA | Get a criminal records check from the police, then register at a Smart Entry Service (SeS) centre. From age 17. | CBP page |
| Switzerland | ESTA | You also need clearance from fedpol, the Swiss Federal Police (CHF 100, plus a criminal record extract). CBP won’t process the application without it. | CBP page |
| Taiwan | ESTA | First get a Police Criminal Record Certificate (issued within the last 12 months); its number goes in the application. | CBP page |
| United Arab Emirates | Visa | CBP lists no extra home-country step. | CBP page |
| United Kingdom | ESTA | First pass a UK background check on GOV.UK (£42, about 10 working days). You get a UK access code to enter in the US application. | CBP page |
Questions
Do I need an ESTA to visit the US?
If your passport is from one of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries, yes: for holidays, visits and business trips of up to 90 days, and for transits. It costs $40.62, lasts two years (or until your passport expires), and the only official site is esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Other passports need a visitor visa.
Can I get Global Entry if I am not American?
Only with a passport from one of 23 partner countries, including the UK, the Netherlands, Germany, Switzerland, Japan, Australia and Mexico. Canadians get the benefits through NEXUS. It costs $120 for five years and includes TSA PreCheck.
What is Mobile Passport Control and who can use it?
A free CBP app for a faster arrival line, with no sign-up. US citizens and residents, Canadian visitors and returning ESTA travellers can use it, at 37 US international airports and preclearance airports such as DUB, SNN, AUH. First-time ESTA visitors use the regular line.
Is Global Entry worth it over Mobile Passport Control?
If you visit the US several times a year and qualify, often yes: kiosks, often no officer conversation, and TSA PreCheck for US flights. For one trip a year, the free app usually does the job.
Which nationalities cannot get US visitor visas right now?
Since 1 January 2026, Presidential Proclamation 10998 suspends visas for 19 nationalities and visitor visas for 19 more, with narrow exceptions. Pick your passport above to see if it applies.
Checked 2026-11-02. Mobile Passport Control works at: ATL, BWI, BOS, CLE, CLT, ORD, DFW, DEN, DTW, IAD, FLL, HNL, IAH, HOU, JFK, MCI, LAS, LAX, MIA, MSP, EWR, OAK, MCO, PHL, PHX, PIT, PDX, SMF, SLC, SAN, SFO, SJC, SJU, SEA, TPA, ANC, FAI, STT, STX. Sources: esta.cbp.dhs.gov, travel.state.gov, cbp.gov, federalregister.gov, travel.state.gov, cbp.gov, ttp.dhs.gov, cbp.gov, travel.state.gov, usa.gov, uscis.gov. Rules change; the official sites have the final word. Not legal advice.
Points or cash for the flight?
Tell Mila the trip. She checks the award, the cash fare and the lounges, and reminds you about the ESTA.
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