U.S. Customs & Border Patrol unveiled its new web-based Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) on August 1, 2008 at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Under the proposed regulations, this electronic travel authorization will be required before nationals of countries that are allowed to travel to the U.S. without a visa for business or pleasure may board a plane for the United States. Although the website currently states that ESTA registration is required, mandatory registration will not be in effect until January 12, 2009. Until then, ESTA registration is purely voluntary.

Once ESTA becomes mandatory in 2009, nationals of visa waiver countries must enter biographical and eligibility information on the ESTA website, preferably at least 72 hours before travel, and can apply even without having specific travel plans. If approved, the traveler will receive an authorization valid for multiple entries for two years from the date of the authorization or until the traveler's current passport expires, whichever comes first. The ESTA authorization does not guarantee admissibility to the United States. If the ESTA authorization is denied, the traveler must apply for a visa at the appropriate U.S. Embassy/Consulate.

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