Updated October 28, 2026

ESTA questions: what the application asks and what CBP asks when you land

The ESTA application asks for your passport, contact, employer and US contact details, then nine yes-or-no eligibility questions about health, arrests, drugs, fraud, past visa refusals, overstays and travel to certain countries. Answer every one truthfully. An approved ESTA only lets you board. When you land, a CBP officer still asks why you're visiting, how long you'll stay and what you're bringing, then decides whether to admit you.

What is ESTA, and who needs one?

ESTA, the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, is the automated check that decides whether you can travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. CBP says the program lets citizens of 42 countries visit for business or tourism for up to 90 days without a visa.

The ESTA site says you should apply if all of these are true:

• You're a citizen or eligible national of a Visa Waiver Program country.
• You don't currently hold a visitor visa.
• Your trip is 90 days or less.
• You're traveling for business or pleasure (transit counts too).

CBP adds that you must have an e-Passport, a passport with an embedded electronic chip, to use the program.

A few cases from the ESTA FAQ that people often get wrong:

• You have a valid B1/B2 visa. You travel on the visa, not an ESTA.
• You have another type of visa, like an F-1, but you're making a short tourist trip without a visitor visa. You do need an ESTA.
• You're only changing planes in the US. You still need an ESTA. Write "In Transit" in the address field.
• You're traveling with children. Each child needs their own ESTA and their own passport, whatever their age.

What information does the ESTA application ask for?

The ESTA site lists what every applicant needs:

• A valid passport from a Visa Waiver Program country
• A selfie photo
• A valid email address
• Your home address and phone number
• An emergency contact's phone and email
• A way to pay the fee

It may also ask for, if they apply to you:

• Other names or aliases
• A national ID or personal ID number
• A Global Entry, NEXUS or SENTRI number
• Your employer's address and phone number
• A US point of contact's name, address and phone

Why the form asks about your job. The ESTA FAQ says that under section 214(b) of the Immigration and Nationality Act, every visitor must show they aren't an intending immigrant, and "employment information can help demonstrate eligibility." It's the same idea as the ties questions in a B1/B2 visa interview.

No travel plans yet? The FAQ says you don't need specific plans, but you do need a US point of contact. If you know where you'll stay, enter the first address, or the hotel's name.

The social media question is optional. The FAQ says that if you skip it, or don't have social media, your application can still be submitted "without a negative interpretation or inference."

What are the nine ESTA eligibility questions?

After your details, the ESTA FAQ says you answer nine security questions. Each one is a yes or no. Here's what each covers, in plain words. Read the full wording on the form before you answer.

Question 1 has its own guidance. The ESTA FAQ explains when to answer "Yes" to the health question. For example, you answer "No" if you have or had a physical or mental disorder without behavior that has posed or may pose a threat to you or others. It also lists the communicable diseases the question means, such as infectious tuberculosis, cholera and yellow fever.

Question 7 covers past visa refusals. If you were ever refused a US visa, including under 214(b), the true answer is "Yes." Our 214(b) refusal guide explains what that refusal means.

Question 9 names specific countries. The form lists the countries, and it asks for every trip on or after March 1, 2011, including time in transit. Its help text says you don't have to report travel to South Sudan. The ESTA site also has a help topic for travelers who went to Cuba. If you went to a listed country on government or military duty, the form says to show the CBP officer evidence when you arrive.

Never answer to get approved. The ESTA FAQ says reapplying with false information to qualify will make you permanently ineligible for travel under the Visa Waiver Program. If you made a mistake on an eligibility question, the FAQ says to contact the CBP Info Center through the link at the bottom of each ESTA page. Mistakes in your passport or personal details need a new application and a new fee.

What happens after you submit your ESTA?

The ESTA site gives one of three answers:

• Authorization Approved. You can travel under the Visa Waiver Program. It's generally valid for multiple trips for two years, or until your passport expires.
• Authorization Pending. The site says your application is under review because an immediate decision couldn't be made, and that this "does not indicate negative findings." Check back for the result.
• Travel Not Authorized. You can't travel under the Visa Waiver Program. The FAQ says you may be able to get a visa from the State Department instead.

The fee. The ESTA FAQ says everyone pays a $10.62 processing fee, and approved applicants pay another $30.00, for $40.62 in total. If you're denied, you're charged only the processing fee. Third-party websites that file for you charge more, and the FAQ says CBP can't refund money paid to them.

When to apply. CBP recommends applying as soon as you start planning, or before you buy airline tickets.

If you're denied. The ESTA FAQ says that if your circumstances haven't changed, a new ESTA application will be denied too. Embassies and consulates can't explain an ESTA denial, but they can process a visa application, and the FAQ says an approved visa is then the only way to travel. The State Department can't promise next-day visa appointments, so the FAQ suggests applying for ESTA well before your trip.

You don't need a printout. The FAQ says airlines get your ESTA status from DHS. It still recommends printing a copy for your records.

What does a CBP officer ask Visa Waiver travelers on arrival?

The ESTA FAQ is clear that an approved ESTA "does not determine whether a traveler is admissible." At the port of entry, the CBP officer decides, and the FAQ says you must show the officer you're entitled to be admitted under the Visa Waiver Program.

CBP doesn't publish a question list for Visa Waiver travelers. The questions below follow from what the ESTA FAQ and cbp.gov say the officer checks: a trip of 90 days or less, for business, pleasure or transit, with a return or onward ticket, and nothing that makes you inadmissible. Each has a sample answer. These are examples, not answers from real travelers: swap the bracketed details for your own true ones, and never memorize a script.

"What's the purpose of your trip?"

• Why they ask: the Visa Waiver Program covers business, pleasure and transit only.
• What a strong answer does: names the purpose in one sentence, and it's the same purpose your trip shows.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "I'm on vacation with my wife. We're seeing [New York and Boston] for [ten days]." Or: "I'm here on business. I'm attending [a sales conference in Chicago] for my company, [Name], in [Germany]."

Weak answer: "Just visiting. Maybe looking around for work while I'm here." (Seeking work is question 6 on your ESTA.)

What the officer may ask next: "Who are you traveling with?"

"How long will you stay?"

• Why they ask: a Visa Waiver visit must be 90 days or less, and the length should fit the purpose.
• What a strong answer does: gives an exact number of days and a departure date that matches your ticket.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "[Twelve] days. I fly home on [June 18]."

Weak answer: "I'm not sure yet. As long as I can."

What the officer may ask next: "Can I see your return ticket?"

"Do you have a return or onward ticket?"

• Why they ask: the ESTA FAQ lists a return or onward ticket as a condition of Visa Waiver travel.
• What a strong answer does: says yes and has the booking ready to show.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "Yes. I'm flying [Boston to London] on [June 18]. Here's the booking on my phone." For an onward trip: "Yes, I fly on to [Mexico City] on [May 3], and here's that ticket."

Weak answer: "I'll buy it once I know when I'm leaving."

What the officer may ask next: "Where will you be staying?"

"Where will you be staying?"

• Why they ask: your ESTA asked for your address in the US, and your answer should match it.
• What a strong answer does: names the place, or the first place if you're moving around.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "At [the Hilton near Times Square] for the first five nights, then at [my cousin's home in Boston]."

Weak answer: "I don't know yet. Somewhere downtown." (when your ESTA lists a hotel)

What the officer may ask next: "How do you know your cousin?"

"What do you do for work?"

• Why they ask: your ESTA asked for your employer, and a job at home is part of showing you'll leave on time.
• What a strong answer does: names the job and employer plainly, the same way your ESTA does.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "I'm [a project manager at an engineering firm in Lyon]. I'm back at work on [June 21]." If you're not working: "I'm retired. I worked [as a teacher] until [2022]."

Weak answer: "I'm between things right now." (when your ESTA lists an employer)

What the officer may ask next: "How long have you worked there?"

"Have you ever been refused a US visa or stayed in the US longer than allowed?"

• Why they ask: these are questions 7 and 8 on your ESTA, and the officer can compare your answer with your record.
• What a strong answer does: gives the same truthful answer you gave on the form, in one or two sentences.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "No, never. I've visited [three times] and always left on time." If yes: "Yes. I was refused a student visa in [2019] and answered yes on my ESTA. I came back as a visitor in [2023] and left on time."

Weak answer: "No." (when you were refused a visa before)

What the officer may ask next: "Why were you refused?"

"Are you bringing any food, plants or animal products? Are you carrying more than $10,000?"

• Why they ask: cbp.gov says every traveler must declare agricultural items and any currency or monetary instruments over $10,000 in total.
• What a strong answer does: declares what you have, even if you think it's allowed.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "Yes, I have [two packets of cookies and some tea] in my carry-on. No meat or fruit. I'm carrying about [$1,500] in cash." Or: "No food at all, and about [$400] in cash."

Weak answer: "No, nothing." (with fruit in your bag)

What the officer may ask next: "Can you open that bag for me?"

"Have you traveled to any of the countries listed on your ESTA?"

• Who gets this: travelers who answered yes to question 9.
• Why they ask: the ESTA form says travelers who went for government or military reasons should show the CBP officer evidence on arrival.
• What a strong answer does: answers the way your ESTA does, with dates and the reason, and has evidence ready if your trip was on duty.

Sample answer (swap in your own details): "Yes, I was in [Iraq] in [2019] with [my country's armed forces], and here's my [deployment letter]." If not: "No, I haven't been to any of those countries."

Weak answer: "I don't remember." (when your ESTA says yes)

What the officer may ask next: "What was your role there?"

What doesn't work. Answers that don't match your ESTA, a stay that runs past 90 days, no ticket home, talk of looking for work, or forgetting to declare food or cash. Short, true answers that match your form are what get you through quickly.

What else happens at the port of entry?

Fingerprints and a photo. The ESTA FAQ says Visa Waiver travelers give biometrics, including fingerprints and photographs, when they arrive. That step reaffirms that you waive your right to review or appeal the officer's decision.

No paper I-94W by air. The ESTA FAQ says ESTA replaced the paper I-94W for Visa Waiver travelers arriving by air or sea.

If you're found inadmissible. The ESTA FAQ says Visa Waiver travelers found inadmissible are denied admission and sent back, to their country of origin or a third country they hold a round-trip ticket to. cbp.gov adds that an officer may, in some cases, let a traveler withdraw their application for admission.

Secondary inspection. The officer at the first booth can send anyone to a second, longer check. See what CBP officers ask at the US border, including secondary inspection and phone searches.

Visa Waiver limits. The ESTA FAQ says that if you're admitted under the program, you can't change or extend your status, and you have no right to appeal a denial of admission.

When should you apply for a visa instead of an ESTA?

The ESTA FAQ says to apply for a visa if any of these apply:

• You'll arrive on an air carrier that isn't a Visa Waiver Program signatory.
• You want to stay more than 90 days.
• You think any ground of inadmissibility in section 212(a) of the Immigration and Nationality Act applies to you.
• Your trip is for something other than short-term tourism or business, like study or work.
• Your ESTA was denied.

For a visitor visa, you'll fill out a DS-160 and in most cases interview with a consular officer. Our B1/B2 visa interview questions guide covers what the officer asks, with sample answers.

Want to rehearse with an AI officer before the real one? See port of entry interview practice.

Visaful is an AI mock interview app for US visa interviews: an AI officer asks your visa's questions out loud and shows what to fix.

This is interview practice, not legal advice. For questions about your own case, talk to an immigration attorney. Visaful is not affiliated with the U.S. government or the Department of State.