If you are a nonimmigrant visitor of the United States who uses the Electronic System for Travel Authorization system to enter this country via airport, seaport, or land crossing through its Visa Waiver Program, be prepared to pay an extra seven dollars for the privilege to do so, as rates will increase effective tomorrow, Thursday, May 26, 2022.
Electronic System for Travel Authorization Fee Increase Effective as of May 26 2022
According to this official notice from the Federal Register — which is the daily journal of the federal government of the United States — the Electronic System for Travel Authorization travel promotion fee has increased from ten dollars to $17.00 and is extended to the year 2027. When including the additional operational fee of four dollars, the total fee for an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization will be $21.00 instead of $14.00 effective tomorrow, Thursday, May 26, 2022 pursuant to updates in mandates from members of the House of Representatives of the United States.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorization travel promotion fee — which is also known as the authorization charge — is the online system through which nonimmigrant visitors intending to enter the United States must obtain an electronic travel authorization in advance of travel to the United States. The fee is collected by employees of the Customs and Border Patrol of the United States.
If you already have an approved Electronic System for Travel Authorization, you are not required to apply again at this time, as the Electronic System for Travel Authorization is valid for up to two years.
The Visa Waiver Program — which is administered by the Department of Homeland Security of the United States in consultation with the State Department of the United States — permits citizens of 40 countries to travel to the United States for business or tourism for stays of up to 90 days without a visa. In return, those 40 countries must permit citizens and nationals of the United States to travel to their countries for a similar length of time without a visa for business or tourism purposes.
Two acts — the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018, which extended the increased fee of the Electronic System for Travel Authorization to 2027; and the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2020 — are the sources for the fee increase.
The increase of seven dollars is forecast to bring in as much as almost $115 million in extra revenue annually for the federal government of the United States, as illustrated in the chart below.
| Fiscal Year | Future Approved Applications | Anticipated Additional Fee Revenue |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 15,442,174 | $108,095,215 |
| 2023 | 15,639,336 | $109,475,353 |
| 2024 | 15,836,499 | $110,855,491 |
| 2025 | 16,033,661 | $112,235,629 |
| 2026 | 16,230,824 | $113,615,767 |
| 2027 | 16,427,987 | $114,995,906 |
Final Boarding Call
If you are a citizen of the United States, this fee increase does not affect you.
If you plan on visiting the United States within the next couple of years, apply for your Electronic System for Travel Authorization as soon as possible to avoid the fee increase, as doing so will save you seven dollars…
…and saving seven dollars is better than no savings at all.
Photograph ©2011 by Brian Cohen.
