08/09/2010 12:20
Visitors from 36 nations to pay $14 fee to travel to U.S.
Since September 8, travelers from 36 nations will be required to pay $14 travel fee when they visit the United States, against previous $10 fee.
The American Visa Bureau said in the statement that “$4 of this government fee will go to administrative costs and $10 will go towards funding the activities of the Corporation for Travel Promotion.”
“The U.S. Senate introduced the ESTA charge to raise funds to strengthen the image of the country abroad, and to try and reverse declining numbers of visitors to the country,” it said.
ESTA (the Electronic System for Travel Authorization) is a mandatory online procedure for US-bound passengers from 36 Visa Waiver Program countries, which includes most European states.
Those 36 nations that participate in the Visa Waiver Program are Andorra, Norway, Australia, Ireland, Portugal, Austria, Italy, San Marino, Belgium, Japan, Singapore, Brunei, South Korea, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Latvia, Slovenia, Denmark, Liechtenstein, Spain, Lithuania, Sweden, Finland, Luxembourg Switzerland, France, Malta, Great Britain, Germany, Monaco, Greece, Netherlands, Hungary and New Zealand. These nations are allowed to travel to the United States for stays of 90 days or less without obtaining a visa.