mcgillianaire | Travelling to America

Some sound advice on a forum: why not obtain the ESTA even if you are not planning a trip to America? It saves you $14 once the charge kicks in, the authorization is valid for 2 years and it allows multiple-entries. It will save you the trouble of applying for one if you do visit and will save you the hassle of obtaining it in case of an emergency visit. The authorization is usually provided immediately, but can take up to 72 hours. And considering its says they won't let you into the country without it, why take a risk? It takes less than five minutes to fill in the form and besides, the flight and address information is optional. You can leave it blank and fill it in at a later date if necessary. Even if you already have a valid ESTA, you could apply for a new one to avoid paying the $14 fee. Who knows, they might increase it by the time your free one expires. Apparently $4 goes to admin, $10 to a US tourism fund. Of course, this only applies to citizens eligible under the VWP.

--ESTA FORM LINK