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We are visiting Bimini in the Bahamas next March and being somewhat risk-averse I have made enquiries about the emergency medical facilities there. I am told that standard procedure is to airlift to Miami, however the person I spoke to was unable to confirm whether UK nationals without ESTAs would be permitted entry to the US under these circumstances.
Is it possible to apply for an ESTA on a “just in case” basis? We’ve only ever applied previously when we’ve had specific travel plans and flights plus accommodation booked.
I have planned this trip meticulously so that we (hopefully) can avoid having to enter the USA, but obviously medical treatment would be a priority in the event it was required!
I just applied for mine a few weeks ago (flying tonight), and while it did ask for date of arrival and address where I’d be staying in the US (at least for the first night), I don’t recall it asking for any flight details or proof of travel etc. They last for 2 years, so I would have thought no problem to get one speculatively – after all, you could have a trip planned that gets cancelled.
Thanks – yes that’s entirely possible (and did happen during the pandemic). However, I wouldn’t be able to provide a valid arrival date without a flight booking (not going to put ANYTHING on the application which might be construed as dishonest, obviously), although I suppose I could make a speculative, flexible hotel booking somewhere.
There must be precedents where planes have diverted to the US to deal with medical emergencies, but I’m struggling to find anything online. I know in the case of the ship which collided with the bridge in Baltimore in March injured people were taken off for treatment, but it may be different if an incident occurs within US waters/airspace?
There are different rules for registered merchant mariners that don’t apply to mere mortals so what happened in Baltimore isn’t generally applicable.
I can’t remember what was asked about intended visits from my last ESTA application but they are used to people putting in one date and destination and arriving on a totally different date so I wouldn’t worry about it. is it even one of the compulsory questions or a voluntary one?
You’d need an ESTA if you were airlifted to Miami, it’s no different than entering the country for other non-commercial reasons. I personally think you are overthinking, but if it puts your mind at ease just apply for one just before you go and put a hotel in Miami as your address. You don’t need to enter flight details anywhere, also, if you went twice in the two year period there is no requirement to update your address for the second visit. All an ESTA does is allow you to board a flight, it is entirely at the remit of CBP as to whether to permit entry. If anyone asks, which they won’t, you planned for a trip to Miami then changed your mind.
If you apply for an ESTA and say you’re in transit, it doesn’t require an address or any onward details.
Whilst I’m here, does anyone know how to update the destination details in an ESTA, or don’t they care any more? All I can do is change the e-nail address….
Whilst I’m here, does anyone know how to update the destination details in an ESTA, or don’t they care any more? All I can do is change the e-nail address….
I did 6 US trips on my last ESTA. Wouldn’t even occur to me to update the address.
They don’t care. They get the most up to date details of your stay from APIS anyway.
When ESTA first started I religiously updated it for every trip until I saw that it was a recommend to update it rather than an instruction so I stopped.
You can update the address on the check ESTA status pages, or at least I can for my upcoming trip. I’ve filled unknown for all parts of that section because I enter the USA at the port in Vancouver.
Don’t really understand why you wouldn’t need an ESTA to enter the country.
Don’t really understand why you wouldn’t need an ESTA to enter the country.
Because there are always exceptions to the rules in emergencies.
Exactly. @Rui N – if you or a loved one had (e.g.) a heart attack on a plane in US airspace, en route to another country, would you expect the pilot to carry on until you could find somewhere to land where you were compliant with the entry requirements?
It sounds like the best option will be to apply for ESTAs just before we head to the Bahamas – thanks all!
*I’ve used the same one a few times without changing the destination. In fact, on one trip to NY I had changed hotels before we arrived and the immigration officer asked where we were staying; I forgot I’d done this and gave the wrong answer. He seemed happy with the explanation though!
Don’t really understand why you wouldn’t need an ESTA to enter the country.
Because there are always exceptions to the rules in emergencies.
Good luck telling the CBP officer that LOL
Exactly. @Rui N – if you or a loved one had (e.g.) a heart attack on a plane in US airspace, en route to another country, would you expect the pilot to carry on until you could find somewhere to land where you were compliant with the entry requirements?
If that happens, the pilot contacts the ground and they use a company to tell the pilot what to do. And one of the things they check is immigration issues. If there is a may-day they will land in the US. And people that can’t enter the country won’t be allowed to enter the country.
Don’t know in what world you guys live, really.I don’t know why you feel the need to be so rude. How many people actually know what the emergency medical procedures are in other countries?
So what you’re saying is that they would refuse a dying person medical assistance if they didn’t have the correct paperwork? Forgive me if I find that a tiny bit difficult to believe.
Don’t really understand why you wouldn’t need an ESTA to enter the country.
Because there are always exceptions to the rules in emergencies.
Good luck telling the CBP officer that LOL
Oh be sensible.
Do you really think someone who has been medevaced to the US is going to queue up at immigration?
Or that a diverted flight not intending to land in the US but has to just parks up at an ordinary gate and passengers let off?
Critically-ill patient refused admission at the border is EXACTLY the sort of thing I would expect from US bureaucracy.
OP is right to think about this and cover it off.
I thought that when ESTAs were first launched, you needed one for nonstop flights from Mexico to Europe. A very quick google search showed nothing of the sort so either I’m making it up or it’s been reversed…
ESTAs were US only and for arriving at US points of entry by Air only until 2022 when that was expanded to land borders.
Canada followed with their own ESTA in 2016, EU will follow next year if it doesn’t get postponed for the 5th time, and the UK joined the ESTA party in 2023/4 depending on your passport’s country of orgin.
Mexican citizens coming to Europe (and Norway/Iceland) will require an ETIA from whenever it begins.
Everything depends on your passport country of origin as well as the flight routing.
Have they done away with the Ixx now for US land entry? Didn’t know the ESTA covered it!
(And eTA for Canada, btw)
@sayling aparently yes, it slipped past me but was announced – “Effective October 1, 2022, all Visa Waiver Program (VWP) travelers intending to enter the United States by land will be required to obtain an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) prior to application for admission at land border ports of entry.”
And yeah, I couldn’t be bothered with all different bureaucratic bollox abbreviations. Every civil service has a different name for the same tbing. Essentially it’s a tax for some countries that each one isn’t totally friends with but doesn’t want to punish them by making visitors from that country get a full visa.
Can you imagine how many billions of tourist dollars would be lost if every family of 4 from the UK heading to Florida needed fulll visas via the US embassy. Most would just say no and head elsewhere.
Cheers – I missed it too!
I remember a few years back advising a few relatives, separately, they really didn’t need an ESTA – despite being told they did by (different!) professional, travel agents – to fly into Canada and cross into the US via Windsor/Detroit and at Niagara.
And the importance of returning the Ixx (whatever the number is/was)!
@NorthernLass, if you go through the ESTA application (please make sure you go to the official site!) and click on the little information button in the circle, it will tell you what to put in the sections for where you’re staying etc. It’s perfectly legitimate to put that you don’t know (people still book villas on arrival holidays or similar).
Also no need to go back into the ESTA over the 2 years and update anything, it’s not required.
For the sake of $21 each and peace of mind, I’d definitely be doing one.
Yes we always use the official site! The norm is that we generally have them, but deliberately didn’t renew after our trip last year when it was all so expensive and the service was terrible. No more US trips planned for the foreseeable. Never updated anything, though I don’t think anything particularly changed for us.
We’ll get them anyway, for the possible medical issue and in case of travel disruption where we might need to fly home via the US. It’s just a bit annoying that we might have to go somewhere completely unrelated to our trip!
“Choosing” to be medevaced to the US is not the same as an emergency that occurs mid-air.
I thought that when ESTAs were first launched, you needed one for nonstop flights from Mexico to Europe. A very quick google search showed nothing of the sort so either I’m making it up or it’s been reversed…
The US requires the airline to submit API for all flights that approach US airspace regardless of the origin and destination. The passengers do not need ESTAs.
It’s likely that the US runs the API data through the system that grants ESTAs or a similar one. If they don’t like the passengers they can either tell the airline to deny boarding or tell the airline to avoid going near the US (which may be impossible for some routes i.e. Mexico, Canada)
Basically if the plane has any chance of needing to land in the US at all, the US wants to know who is on it, so in the case of an emergency they sort of already have approved everyone on board, subject to final approval depending on the circumstances.
When you “choose” to fly to the US on a private aircraft you will need an ESTA in order to be approved to take off. Furthermore, the medevac company needs to be a Signatory Visa Waiver Program (VWP) Carrier otherwise it can only fly US/Canadian citizens and people with a proper US visa.
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