ESTA for a family or group of travelers

Updated: Aug 25, 2023  | Tags: Family ESTA, Group ESTA Applications

Introduction

If you are needing an ESTA for a family or a group of travelers, then you can apply as a group of applications. To apply for a family or group ESTA, all U.S. bound travelers in the group must hold a passport from a visa waiver eligible country.

ESTA for a family or group of travelers

What is the group ESTA application process?

If you need ESTA for family or a group of travelers, you can apply online. Each application will take approximately 10 minutes to complete. Approvals can take up to 72 hours, thus the group lead should plan to apply for all applicants well before the departure date to the United States to avoid any travel disruptions caused by pending or denied ESTA applications.

What do I need to apply for a family or group ESTA?

A group of applications allows you to submit ESTA applications for up to 50 travelers with a single payment. Applicants in a group of applications are not required to travel together. There are also additional benefits to submitting a group of applications, such as:

• Performing a single payment saves time over making individual payments per application.
• View and keep track of the status’ of all travelers in a group.
• You can also update the group of applications together as well as add or remove applications from the group, thereby providing greater oversight of the travel group.

What do I need to apply for a family or group ESTA?

You can apply on behalf of another traveler, however you will need to indicate on the application form that you are applying on behalf of another individual. This is usually performed by selecting the box most relevant to third-parties applying on behalf of the applicant.

To apply for a group of individuals, you will need to obtain the following required information for each traveler to complete an application. Applicants are able to view the complete ESTA questions list before applying.

• Passport information – passport number, passport issuing country, passport country of citizenship, passport date issuance and expiry, as well as the same information for any additional passports.
• Personal information – first name (including middle name), family name, date of birth,
• city of birth, country of birth, gender, any known aliases
• Parents – Parents first name and family name if known, otherwise, put ‘UNKNOWN’
• Contact information – address line 1 and line 2, state/province/region, city, country, email address, telephone number
• Emergency contact information in the U.S. – first name, family name, telephone number and email address. This can be the information of your U.S. hotel.
• U.S. contact information – If staying in the U.S., you will need the name of U.S. contact, address line 1 and line 2, state, city, telephone number. This can be the information of your U.S. hotel.
• Address while in the U.S. - If staying in the U.S., you will need to provide the address line 1 and line 2, state, city. This can be the information of your U.S. hotel.
• Employment information – If employed, you need the applicant’s employer name, address line 1 and line 2, state/province/region, city and country.
• Answers to the ESTA eligibility questions – you will need each applicant’s responses to the nine ESTA eligibility questions.

Additional considerations for family travelers on an ESTA

[A] Babies and children each need an approved ESTA

All visa waiver eligible travelers, regardless of their age, will require to have their own approved ESTA prior to their departure to the U.S. Each traveler must have a valid, un-expired passport and approved ESTA in their own name that also meets the ESTA requirements of an acceptable passport. Individuals applying on behalf of a family or group should also be familiar with rules around traveling to the United States with minors. Thus, child or baby applications should also be part of the group submission.

[B] Visas will be required for group member travelers denied an ESTA

If one or more applications within the group are denied while others are approved, you will need to reassess your travel plans.

Travelers that are not eligible for ESTA or have denied entry through the Visa Waiver Program, will need to apply for a visa if they wish to visit the United States.

[C] Double check documents prior to applying

Given the sheer number of details that may be required when applying for a group, it’s easy to make mistakes. Thoroughly double-check all information before submitting.

[D] Respect Privacy Concerns

Ensure you respect the privacy of all group members. Collect and handle their personal information responsibly, only using it for the purpose of the ESTA application.

Conclusion

The ESTA allows individuals to submit applications for up to 50 travelers. Individuals submitting group or family applications should gather the passport, personal and travel details of those in their travel group before starting on the group or family application.