ESTA for land/sea

[BBCC 16]

I wanted to report something that happened to us today at a US/Canada border crossing that may be of interest.

We entered the US from Canada with relatives in town from Taiwan, one of the latest countries to be added to the US VWP.

With the coming Canadian holiday, the border was a zoo. We waited for a considerable amount of time before we reached the front of the pack and were referred to the secondary inspection arrivals hall on the US side.

The purpose of the visit to secondary was to apply for visa waivers for the arriving family members who had arrived at the local international airport on the Canadian side of the border.

As many know, the instructions on the ESTA web site are that the ESTA web site is only for common-carrier flights into the US and that for land, ferry, one needs apply in person at the border.

After waiting a further hour just to reach the counter to apply, we were intrigued that the CBP border officer then informed us we could have saved time and filed our application on the ESTA web site.

Since we entered by car, we also asked if this applied to those arriving on a ferry. We were told, yes, that was also an option.

He believed, but not certain, that we should be able to leave the field for the name of the common-carrier (airline) and flight number blank.

Has anyone tried leaving these fields blank on the ESTA form? I had thought these two fields are mandatory (though I've never actually used the ESTA web site recently).

It might be a time-saver for those interested in completing the arrival form ahead of time.

Edited June 29, 2014 by BBCC

[kitthekat 1,317]

https://help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1132/~/citizen-of-visa-waiver-country,-wants-to-drive-into-u.s.-from-canada-or-mexico,

If you are a citizen of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and you enter the U.S. by land from Mexico or Canada, you are only required to complete the paper I-94W form at the land border crossing. ESTA is currently required for air and cruise ship travel only.

Note: VWP citizens do not need an ESTA to travel on the ferries between Vancouver and Victoria, BC and Washington state. They are treated as a land border port.

If coming by sea, as long as it is a cruise ship, you will need to apply for ESTA (check the ESTA Web site for approved cruise lines.) It is in the first page of the application, in the drop down list of carrier codes under the travel information. The header says, "Airline and Flight number," but cruise lines are listed as well. If you are coming in a private sailing vessel, ESTA is not an issue since you must have a visa to arrive in the U.S. by that mode. VWP is not approved for travel to the U.S. on a pleasure boat.

[0utside 0]

We're wondering the same thing. My wife's brother is with a British passport and we plan to enter together from Canada by car in the autumn. There is no specific mention that he is able to apply online prior to crossing in this case. So it is allowed?

[Boiler 45,965]

It is not needed, means just that, does not mean it is not relevant.

[BBCC 16]

We're wondering the same thing. My wife's brother is with a British passport and we plan to enter together from Canada by car in the autumn. There is no specific mention that he is able to apply online prior to crossing in this case. So it is allowed?

That was what we were surprised about at the border. The only information online from the CBP web pages is the citation, artfully quoted by kittykat. Careful reading of that page makes no mention of an available option of saving time by applying online prior to arrival at a land border crossing. The officer that handled our applications informed us we could do so. So feel free to use that option if you like.