Department of Homeland Security – Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)

As of January 12, 2009, all nationals and citizens of VWP countries will be required by law to obtain a travel authorization prior to initiating travel to the United States under the VWP.  This online authorization must be submitted well in advance of travel, and is valid for two years from the date of authorization or until the expiration of the passport used.  ESTA is currently free of charge and obtained only through the following official government website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.  Further details are also found at the same website.  The Embassy emphasizes that this is a travel registration program, and not a new visa program.

The 2009 list of current VWP countries are Andorra, Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brunei, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Republic of Malta, San Marino, Singapore, Slovakia, Slovenia, South Korea, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom.