If you are from Singapore, then you should know that you are eligible for US ESTA. ESTA stands for Electronic System for Travel Authorization and is an automated system that establishes the eligibility of travelers who go to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program. Keep in mind that the authorization above does not determine if a particular person is admissible to the US. That is a job for the US Customs and Border Protection officers after you arrive in the US.
The US ESTA is an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals from 2010. One of the conditions is that you travel from Singapore to the United States by plane. The document in question needs to be obtained before you leave, but it is a simple process that can now be completed online.
What do you need?
The list of requirements is not long. Quite the contrary, in fact. You need very few documents, and it takes very little time. First of all, you are required to have a valid electronic passport with a digital chip containing your biometric information. The rule has been applied as of April 2016. An e-Passport is an enhanced secure passport with an embedded electronic chip. Surely you have heard of it. You also need a means of payment.You can either have a credit or a debit card, but if you have a Paypal account, you can use that as well.
How does it work?
There are three steps you need to complete. The first step requires you to fill in the blanks with your general information like name, gender, passport number, address, and so on. At this point, you are also required to select the processing time. The second stage is a simple revision, and you also need to make the payment. The third and the last step consists of uploading additional documents. You will be asked to answer a set of personal questions as well. After you have completed all three steps, you can submit your application and wait for the document to arrive in your email inbox.
How long does it take and what are the costs?
Surprisingly, the processing time is very short. It depends on what your choice is. You can choose from three available processing times. First, you have the Standard processing time. That means you will receive the US ETA in one business day. The cost for that is 29 US dollars. The Rush processing time costs 59 US dollars, but you will receive the ETA in three hours. Last but not least, the Super Rush processing time means that you will receive the document in 30 minutes, but you have to pay 79$ for it.
Additional information
The document you receive is valid for two years from the date of authorization. Alternatively, if your passport expires before that, the US ETA will expire when that happens. However, once you arrive in the US, you can stay for maximum 90 days. The US ETA provides multiple entries, so you can come and go as you please, provided that your stay does not exceed 90 days combined.
