Editorial policy
This page exists because a site that sells help with a government process ought to be able to show its working.
Sources
Every factual claim about the ESTA — fees, validity, eligibility, timing, country lists — comes from U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Department of Homeland Security, or the U.S. Department of State. Where a claim is about law in another jurisdiction, it is sourced to that jurisdiction’s own publications.
We do not use other commercial ESTA sites as sources. A great many of them are inaccurate, and several still publish the pre-September-2025 fee.
Review cycle
Every page shows the date it was last checked, and that date only moves when someone has actually re-verified it.
The following are re-checked at fixed intervals regardless of whether anything appears to have changed:
| Item | Frequency |
|---|---|
| The government fee | Every September — CBP adjusts it for inflation annually |
| The Visa Waiver Program country list | Quarterly |
| Processing times and application steps | Quarterly |
| Proposed rules that are not yet in force | Quarterly |
That last row matters. In 2026 a proposal to require five years of social media history from ESTA applicants was widely reported as though it were already in effect. It is not — it remains under review and would need a further public comment period. We report proposals as proposals.
Corrections
If something here is wrong, tell us. We correct errors of fact promptly and note the change on the page. We would rather be corrected by a reader than keep an error that costs someone a trip.
What we will not publish
- Approval rates, or any claim implying we can influence CBP’s decision
- “Fast-track”, “priority” or “expedited” claims about government processing
- Any suggestion that this site is official, authorised or endorsed
- Fabricated reviews, testimonials, countdown timers or invented scarcity
- Legal advice on eligibility, arrests or convictions — those go to an attorney
Independence
Our only revenue is the service fee. We take no commission for referrals, and no page is written to favour a partner. Where the honest answer is “you do not need us for this”, the page says so — most visibly on the cost page and the not-affiliated page.
Who writes this
Written and reviewed by the site’s operator. Where a question falls outside what we can responsibly answer — immigration eligibility, legal consequences — we say so and point to a qualified attorney rather than guessing.