Independent tool, not a government website. We don't sell travel authorisations or take payments. Always apply on the official site.
United States · checked
Electronic System for Travel Authorization. Apply only on esta.cbp.dhs.gov or the official app. Lookalike sites often charge more than the government.
Official site
…and their subdomains only. Apply on esta.cbp.dhs.gov or in the official ESTA Mobile app. Paying more than this means someone else is charging a service fee.
Official app: ESTA Mobile (published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection)
Open the official ESTA site (esta.cbp.dhs.gov)Official fee
US$40.62 per application (from 16 Oct 2026; it was US$40.27 earlier in 2026). If the application is denied, you pay US$10.62.
Checked by hand on against:
Governments change fees, so always confirm on the official site before paying.
Free checker
Paste the link from the ad, email or search result before you pay.
How to spot a copycat
Examples use the reserved .example names. They show patterns, not real sites, and each one is run through the checker above.
Not official: esta-application-online.example
Anyone can register a name that contains “ESTA”. Only addresses that end in esta.cbp.dhs.gov, cbp.gov or dhs.gov are official for ESTA.
Not official: official-esta-gov.example
A word that sounds official is not a government ending. Read the end of the address, not the start.
Not official: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov.example.com/apply
Putting esta.cbp.dhs.gov in front of another domain doesn't make it official. The part right before the first single slash decides who owns the site: here, example.com.
Not official: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov@example.com/apply
Everything before an @ in an address is a username, not the site. The browser opens the domain after it: here, example.com.
Official: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/
Paying much more than the official fee above, beyond official levies, payment fees and card conversion, usually means a third-party site added its own service fee. Search ads can sit above the official result, so check the address, not the position.
“If you have used one of these third party sites, we strongly suggest you use your application number to confirm with the official U.S. government site to ensure that your ESTA is in our system… CBP cannot refund the money you paid to a third party website.”
Check with the government that your ESTA really exists, then decide on a refund or chargeback. Read the official warning about disputing the charge first.
FAQ
The official ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) for United States is at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/. Official addresses end in esta.cbp.dhs.gov, cbp.gov, dhs.gov (or a subdomain of them). Apply on esta.cbp.dhs.gov or in the official ESTA Mobile app. Paying more than this means someone else is charging a service fee.
US$40.62 per application (from 16 Oct 2026; it was US$40.27 earlier in 2026). If the application is denied, you pay US$10.62. Checked on 23 Oct 2026 against esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Governments change fees, so confirm on the official site before paying.
Look at the end of the address, right before the first single slash. For ESTA it must be esta.cbp.dhs.gov, cbp.gov, dhs.gov or a subdomain of them, such as esta.cbp.dhs.gov. A name that only contains “ESTA”, “gov” or “official”, or has esta.cbp.dhs.gov at the start followed by another domain, is not official. You can paste the link into the free checker on this page.
ESTA Mobile (published by U.S. Customs and Border Protection).
Ask the government, not the site: Check individual status on esta.cbp.dhs.gov (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/individualStatusLookup). On the ESTA site choose Check ESTA Status, then Check Individual Status. You need your passport number, date of birth and ESTA application number.
General information, not legal advice. OfficialOrNot is independent and not a government website.