ESTA for German citizens
Yes — if you hold a Germany passport and you are flying or sailing to the United States for tourism, business or transit, you need an ESTA. Germany joined the Visa Waiver Program in 1989.
- Government fee — you pay CBP directly
- $40.27
The $40.27 government fee is $4.00 processing plus $36.27 authorization. If your application is denied you pay only the $4.00 processing fee.
Specific to Germany: Germany was the first country in the world to issue biometric passports, in November 2005, so essentially every valid German passport meets the e-passport requirement.
What German travellers need
- A Germany passportIt must be biometric — an e-passport with a chip and the small camera symbol on the cover.
- Germany citizenshipResidency is not enough. If you live in Germany on another passport, check whether that country is in the programme.
- A qualifying tripTourism, business or transit, 90 days or fewer, arriving by air or sea.
- Clean travel historyTravel to Cuba, Iran, Iraq, Libya, North Korea, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since 2011 removes eligibility.
Cost for German applicants
The fee is $40.27, charged by CBP in US dollars. Your card issuer will convert from EUR at its own rate and may add a foreign transaction charge, so the amount leaving your account will not match $40.27 exactly. If your application is refused you are charged only $4.00.
There is no Germany discount and no family rate — every traveller pays the same, including infants.
Flying from Germany
Most German travellers depart from Frankfurt, Munich, Berlin. Your departure airport makes no difference to the ESTA itself — what matters is your citizenship and that you arrive in the US by air or sea. Connecting through another country on the way does not change anything either.
Apply at least 72 hours before departure. Most approvals come back within minutes, but some go to manual review, and no airline will let you board without one.
If you are refused
A refusal is not a ban. It means applying for a B1/B2 visa at a US embassy or consulate instead, where a consular officer can consider your circumstances properly. See what to do after a refusal.
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Check your details before you pay
A mistyped passport number means paying $40.27 again and reapplying. A reviewer compares every field against your passport first.