ESTA Fee Rises 35 Cents to $40.62, and an Approval Generally Lasts Up to Two Years

The Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, is the online system U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) uses for travelers who use the Visa Waiver Program. CBP’s ESTA page says an e-Passport is required to use the program. The official application site is esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

The price of an approved authorization has changed three times since September 2025. A 2025 increase raised the fee from $21 to $40, a rise of $19. An adjustment that took effect on 16 October 2026 set the approved-application amount at $40.62, up 35 cents, according to VisaVerge and VisasNews.

Who the Authorization Is For

The Visa Waiver Program lets citizens of designated countries travel to the United States for business or tourism without a visa, for stays of up to 90 days. In return, those countries must let U.S. citizens visit them for a similar length of time without a visa, according to CBP.

CBP’s Visa Waiver Program page says 42 countries participate. The DHS program page lists them, including Japan and Singapore.

ESTA is the automated system that determines whether visitors are eligible to travel under the program. The application collects biographic information and answers eligibility questions, according to CBP.

Eligible travelers must obtain approval through ESTA before boarding a plane or ship to the United States, according to DHS. Approval does not guarantee entry, and CBP officers determine admissibility on arrival.

CBP’s ESTA page says Canada requires an Electronic Travel Authorization for visa-exempt visitors arriving by air. U.S. citizens and travelers with a valid visa are exempt from that requirement.

Current ESTA Fee
From 16 October 2026, an approved ESTA application costs $40.62, up from $40.27, according to VisaVerge. A denied application is charged $10.62.

The 2025 Increase From $21 to $40

VisasNews reported that the ESTA fee would rise from $21 to $40. The outlet attributed the change to the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and said CBP systems would begin collecting the new amount on 30 September 2025. VisasNews cited an updated ESTA portal FAQ for the new fee.

According to VisasNews, the $40 total has three parts. A $17 travel promotion portion did not change. The ESTA operational fee rose from $4 to no less than $10. A new portion of no less than $13 goes to the Treasury General Fund. The outlet describes the law as having passed in July and as having added the Treasury fee and raised the operational fee.

Applications paid before the systems update stayed at $21. Applications that were started but not paid until after the update were charged $40, according to the same report.

How the 2026 Adjustment Is Calculated

VisaVerge attributes the increases to an annual inflation adjustment under H.R. 1 (Public Law 119-21). VisasNews says the adjustment uses the CPI-U, which rose 3.36% between July 2025 and July 2026.

VisasNews breaks the approved total into three parts: $17, which is fixed; $10.62 for system operation, the only inflation-adjusted part; and $13, which is also fixed. The $17 and $13 amounts match the 2025 figures.

Using the same three parts, the earlier total is $17 plus $10.27 plus $13, or $40.27. The 35-cent rise therefore falls entirely in the system operation component.

The Form I-94 fee for land ports stays at $30. Its $24 HR-1 portion would rise by $0.81 under the inflation adjustment, but VisasNews says that amount is rounded down to whole dollars, so no increase applies this year.

The adjustment also raises the immigration parole fee from $1,020 to $1,050, according to VisasNews.

The 16 October 2026 Change to $40.62

From 16 October 2026, an approved ESTA application costs $40.62, up from $40.27, an increase of 35 cents, according to VisaVerge and VisasNews. VisasNews says applications submitted through 15 October still cost $40.27.

A denied application rises by the same 35 cents, from $10.27 to $10.62. VisaVerge gives the same denied figures, and VisasNews says travelers pay only the system operating component in that case.

The EVUS enrollment fee for eligible Chinese visa holders rises from $30.75 to $31.75, according to VisaVerge and VisasNews.

VisaVerge reports that the notice was published in the Federal Register on 1 October 2026, cited as 91 FR 62534, with the new rates taking effect 15 days later. VisasNews describes the notice as covering fiscal year 2027 inflation adjustments for DHS immigration-related fees under H.R. 1.

The reports give different figures for the amount before the change. VisasNews’s 2025 report gives $40 as the total, while VisaVerge and VisasNews’s 2026 report give $40.27 as the figure in effect until 16 October. VisasNews’s 2026 report says the fee rose from $40 to $40.27 on 1 January 2026.

Taken together, the 2026 figures raise the approved total, the denied charge and the EVUS fee, and leave the Form I-94 fee at $30. The approved and denied figures rise by the same 35 cents, and the EVUS fee rises by $1.

Travelers with an existing approval do not need to reapply or pay the difference after the fee change.

What an Approved Authorization Covers

VisaVerge says an approved ESTA generally stays valid for up to two years or until the passport expires. VisasNews gives the same limit and says the authorization allows multiple trips of up to 90 days each.

Travelers with an existing approval do not need to reapply or pay the difference after the fee change. VisaVerge reports this, and VisasNews says existing valid authorizations are not affected.

CBP says an ESTA application may be submitted at any time before travel. It recommends starting when trip planning begins, or before buying airline tickets.

CBP’s ESTA page says travelers must have an e-Passport to use the Visa Waiver Program. DHS lists use of e-passports for all VWP travelers, regardless of the passport’s date of issuance, among the requirements for a country’s designation in the VWP.

Applying Through the Official Site

The official ESTA application website of U.S. Customs and Border Protection is esta.cbp.dhs.gov.

Applications submitted by 15 October keep the current rates, and the new rates apply from 16 October 2026, according to VisaVerge.