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I visited the USA in May this year, on an ESTA which I applied for in April. It was approved and I was allowed entry into the country.

I'm re-visiting again this November for two weeks. Am I able to use the same ESTA again or do I need to re-apply for a new one? I know it says it's valid for two years, but is that valid for every use within those two years, or I have to use it within two years, and once I have visited on that visa, it's invalid?

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  • Did you fill in a residence? If so, are you going to the same location again? When I traveled to the US, I was told not to fill in a residence in the US so that I could reuse my ESTA
    – BlueCacti
    Commented Sep 19, 2014 at 19:51
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    In the same FAQ, they state that you can put in your destination, and update it up until the ESTA is issued, but that a traveler is not required to update the destination if it changes after issuance. Therefor, the address where you are staying is not necessary to be correct. If the OP is going to a different location during the second trip, in November, there is no worry and no need to attempt to update the residence address in the ESTA.
    – CGCampbell
    Commented Sep 20, 2014 at 3:07

1 Answer 1

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From the ESTA FAQ:

How long is my travel authorization valid?

Unless revoked, travel authorizations are valid for two years from the date of authorization, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. The Authorization Approved screen displays your travel authorization expiration date.

Has your ESTA been revoked? Assuming it has not, then it is valid for a total of 2 years from the date of authorization. However, if your passport expires anytime within that 2 year period, then the ESTA is no longer valid, as of the date of the passport expiration.

So, three questions to ask yourself:

  1. Has your ESTA been revoked?
  2. Will your passport have expired before your entry into the US in November?
  3. Will the ESTA be over 2 years old as of your date of entry into the US in November?

If your answer to all three questions is no, then your current ESTA is valid for your trip in November.

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  • 2
    This is completely right. I would just add that if you are going to a different place than the first time you have the possibility to "update" your ESTA online (with your passport number you'll be able to retrieve your file on the ESTA website). However, you are not "required" to do so.
    – Hoki
    Commented Sep 19, 2014 at 19:41
  • You passport needs to be valid until the date of return + X days
    – BlueCacti
    Commented Sep 19, 2014 at 19:52
  • I recently visited the US for a second time on the same ESTA. I did not update my US address details before travel, and was able to do so at the electronic self-check-in kiosk at my UK point of departure.
    – Ubiquitous
    Commented May 3, 2015 at 9:27

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