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I am a British Citizen travelling from my home UK to USA on an ESTA Visa. In the past I have just travelled to one state and just toured around there.

But this time I would like to visit Texas and then fly to Florida for vacation. Just checking can you visit multiple states for tourism whilst on an ESTA, or do you just have to stay in one state with the ESTA?

for example, when you go from the airport in Texas to fly to Florida, will they go through the whole process of Visa and immigration again or is it more straightforward because you're already in USA and deem it as a local flight?

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    I'm British. I've flown in to California and flown back from Arizona, without issue, including a subsequent separate trip to Florida on ESTA. (I did, however, drive from CA to AZ.)
    – Graham Nye
    Jun 5 at 22:02
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    Flying from one US state to another is rather like flying from England to Scotland. No customs, no immigration.
    – phoog
    Jun 6 at 1:00
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    The only U.S. place you would require other authorization to travel to (excluding military installations and natural preserves) is American Samoa, for which a British Citizen would be required to obtain an "OK Board" authorization. (American Samoa has a completely separate immigration system from the rest of the US.)
    – A. R.
    Jun 6 at 15:38
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    @AndrewRay: To nitpick, there are a few places like Point Roberts, Washington and Hyder, Alaska where you de facto must cross into Canada to reach them. There is also a tiny island off the coast of Maine whose ownership is disputed, but I don't know if regular tourists are even allowed to visit that island.
    – Kevin
    Jun 6 at 19:54
  • @Kevin Those places themselves do not require any additional authorization. It is true that if you are driving to those places, you would need additional authorization to enter the places you must pass through to get there, but those places are not U.S. places.
    – A. R.
    Jun 7 at 14:46

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There will be no further visa check. Just stay within the period permitted when you entered the country. You will need to show ID for internal flights but this is not a visa check. You might also need ID for other transport. I am also British and I have travelled between states often. Sometimes, I leave from a state other than I entered. I have also flown in and left by land to Canada or Mexico.

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Your ESTA does not limit you to any particular state, it's a permit to be in the USA without a visa. So no, there would be no problems as long as you don't overstay your allowed period of stay as stated in your ESTA approval (total days and end of ESTA validity both).

As said, it's no different from an internal flight in the UK. Someone arriving at Heathrow can take a flight to Edinburgh or Glasgow without violating their visa (or whatever other permit they have to be in the UK).

Or a flight inside the Schengen region. Once you enter with valid papers those papers are valid for the entire region.

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    ESTA is not permission to be in the United States, nor is a visa. They are both permission to travel to the US border to apply for admission. Permission to be in the United States is granted at the border by an immigration officer. The practical implication of this is that you can fly to the US on June 6th with an ESTA that expires on June 6th and be admitted for 90 days. Therefore: "as stated in your ESTA approval": ESTA does not state anything about duration of stay. "Total days and end of ESTA validity both": no, that's incorrect, as explained in the fourth sentence of this comment.
    – phoog
    Jun 6 at 8:20
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    See CBP's ESTA FAQ: "Do I need to apply for a new ESTA if my current travel authorization will expire while I'm in the United States? -- No. ESTA travel authorization needs only to be valid upon arrival in the United States."
    – phoog
    Jun 6 at 8:33
  • It’s not quite true that Schengen papers are valid for the entire region. The country that grants you a Schengen visa must be the main destination of your trip, and so travel within Schengen that would amount to a different country becoming your main destination is not permitted. Although there are no internal passport/visa checks to enforce this.
    – Mike Scott
    Jun 7 at 5:20
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    @MikeScott it's not quite that simple. Changed plans could be grounds for revoking the visa, but unless the visa is in fact revoked there's nothing specifically prohibiting "travel within Schengen that would amount to a different country becoming your main destination."
    – phoog
    Jun 7 at 8:26

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