Visitors to US need online travel permits in new year

THE US embassy has advised Irish people intending to travel to America in the new year to obtain online travel authorisation before they leave.

From January 12th, the existing in-flight visa waiver system comes to an end, to be replaced by a new system requiring travellers to register their details at least 72 hours before departure.

Electronic System for Travel Authorization (Esta), which allows the US authorities to vet travellers before they get on flights, has been operating on a voluntary basis since August.

In that time, 6,046 Irish people applied for Esta, of which 6,015 were approved and 31 denied.

The new procedures have raised concerns about a possible invasion of privacy. US officials who briefed travel agents in Dublin yesterday said Esta would make travel easier for the vast majority of transatlantic fliers.

Paul Morris of US Customs and Border Protection said the data sought from the traveller under Esta is "virtually identical" to the old paper-based system.

Over 99.5 per cent of Esta users have been authorised to travel, he said. Travel was not authorised in cases where a person is suspected of travelling on a lost or stolen passport; is on an anti-terrorism watchlist; or has answered "yes" to any of the traditional questions about criminal involvement, communicable diseases, terrorist activities, previous visa refusal or drug-taking.

Authorisation lasts for two years and so covers multiple flights. Mr Morris said the new system would reduce the number of people who flew across the Atlantic only to be refused entry and sent back.

Although Esta was being introduced for Ireland and 33 other visa-waiver countries from January, immigration authorities would for an initial period look benevolently on travellers who failed to apply for pre-authorisation, he said.

"We will also try to accommodate last-minute travellers, but they take the risk of being denied and not being able to board the aircraft." People who are refused authorisation can apply for visas but this takes at least two weeks.

Esta applications are free and can be made at https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov

Some commercial websites charge up to $250 to make applications, but Mr Morris said these were not supported by the US government.

An estimated 550,000 Irish people travel to the US each year.