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I had applied for US visit visa back in 2011 from the UK but it was refused as I didn't have strong ties.

Last year I applied again for business purpose and was approved the visa in less than 15 minutes. I have valid B1/B2 visa for 5 years in my other passport

I didn't travel as circumstanses changed.

Now I have acquired UK citizenship and hold UK passport. I am plannin to visit US for tourism purpose. As a british citizen I can apply for ESTA but I am confused what should I put in the question here

Have you ever been denied a U.S. visa or entry into the U.S. or had a U.S. visa canceled?

Should I yes ? If I mention yes will it automatically reject my ESTA.

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  • Do you still hold the citizenship from your previous passport (the one with the visas in it?)
    – Doc
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 3:29
  • Yes I do have that
    – Makky
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 4:23
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    If you say "No" when it isn't true, and they find out, now that will get you automatically rejected and banned for a long time.
    – gnasher729
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 14:21
  • 1
    @gnasher729 the ban for deception is lifelong (but there is a waiver available through an expensive and time-consuming process).
    – phoog
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 15:22
  • Was there something unclear about the question you were asked? It doesn't seem too confusing. I'm not quite certain what you're looking for here.
    – Lightness Races in Orbit
    Commented Feb 20, 2019 at 1:09

2 Answers 2

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Presuming you still maintain your previous citizenship (in addition to your UK citizenship) AND you still have that passport and it's still valid, then you can travel on that passport/visa. There is no need to apply for a new ESTA or visa, and doing so will only put your current visa status at risk.

When your current visa expires, then if/when you subsequently need to travel to the US, then your best option will be to apply for an ESTA on your UK passport. When you do this, you should answer "yes" to the question about having been denied a visa previously, as YOU have been, and that's what matters (it's not related to your citizenship/etc).

When you do this your ESTA may be approved or it may be rejected. If it's approved, you're good to go. If it's not, then you will need to obtain another visa at that time.

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    Or even if that other passport is no longer valid. A valid visa in an invalid passport + another valid passport is acceptable.
    – Roman Odaisky
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 13:27
  • @RomanOdaisky reference?
    – Makky
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 13:52
  • travel.state.gov/content/travel/en/us-visas/…, item 4. The “should be from the same country” part is rather confusing though. Maybe some further research is needed.
    – Roman Odaisky
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 14:09
  • If the OP is still a citizen of his original country, he should be able to get a new passport for that citizenship as well, and use that as described with the old visa
    – user61942
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 18:55
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Update: OP updated their question to note they already have a valid US visa! Then just use that and don't apply for a new ESTA or visa. See I have two passports/nationalities. How do I use them when I travel? for how to travel with two passports.

Original answer assuming you don't already have a visa:

You should answer yes. All the questions are about you, not your passport or nationality, so becoming a UK citizen does not change the fact that you were previously denied a visa.

Your best option is to apply for a B-2 visa. It's an expensive hassle, but based on what you've told us it's highly likely to get approved, and it's much better than getting busted for lying on the ESTA application form.

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  • But I already have B1/B2 Visa in my other passport which is valid for 5 years. Should I use that to travel? If I decide to apply for ESTA and its rejected will it void my current visa in my other passport too? – Makky 28 mins ago
    – Makky
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 3:18
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    NO! Why would you recommend applying for a new visa? that makes zero sense
    – Doc
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 3:30
  • @Doc The OP's original post did not say they already had a visa!
    – lambshaanxy
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 9:00
  • I had it mentioned. Later I made it bold to make it more clear.
    – Makky
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 13:50
  • "Your best option is to apply for a B-2 visa. It's an expensive hassle..." (For someone who doesn't already have a valid visa,) why is this better than applying for ESTA? The ESTA application, if refused, costs $4. Since the last visa application was successful, it seems unlikely that the ESTA application would be refused. But if it is, the only negative consequence is having to apply for the visa instead of using the VWP. Why jump to that negative consequence just to save $4?
    – phoog
    Commented Feb 19, 2019 at 15:25

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