New World Colonies (aka America)
If you are travelling under the Visa Waiver Programme you must also have Travel Authorisation to the United States. You can receive authorisation by completing the online form at the *** US Department of Homeland Security ***
The information required for Travel Authorisation is the same as is currently required by the green visa waiver form (I-94W). The traveller must provide biographical data including name, date of birth and passport information, as well as travel information such as the flight number and destination address in the United States. The traveller will also be required to answer, inter alia, VWP eligibility yes/no questions regarding communicable diseases, arrests and convictions for certain crimes, how many cups of tea you had this morning and past history of visa refusal along with a short treatise entitled "Did Hegel see himself as the Absolute Spirit and how can this be used to support the theory of metaphysical transcommunitisation?"
Corporate Travel
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General Info - Page 1 incl. USA Visas
AIRLINE NOTES & UPDATES
The application process may take up to approximately 15-20 minutes and authorisation is normally granted immediately but may take up to 72 hours. I recommend that you apply for authorisation at the time of booking at the latest. If you need to get a full visa, you may need at LEAST a couple of weeks and "not leaving enough time 'cos I did not realise I needed a Visa" is not an excuse for a refund/ or any mercy from the airlines... Those making late bookings can still apply, but there is risk that they may not receive immediate confirmation.
Once granted, authorisation is valid for two years. You do not need to have firm plans to travel to apply for authorisation, so if you are going, the sooner you get started, the better.
Name Spellings
It is vital that when an airline ticket is booked, then the name given matches the name shown in the passport. A name is shown as Lastname/ Firstname-space-title. The name should be spelt one letter after the other, missing out any apostrophies and/ or hyphens. So, if your name is Sir Charles O'Flanagan Ffont-Bittocks, this would appear as OFLANGANFFONTBITTOCKS/ Charles Sir (You are allowed to keep your title. You have earnt it, so why not!). For most of us mere mortals, this means that your name appears as JONES/ ANDREW Mr. Get the spelling right first time - Especially if you are used to a nickname or shortened name, eg Ted or Bill.
IATA do say that you can have up to three characters incorrect in your surname (Emirates, for example, use this facility all the time!) and this may be Okay when travelling in, say, Europe. In the New World Colonies, (aka America) with their rather, er, challenging requirements, you do have to get it right so time spent checking, before you press the proverbial commit button, is well spent. Beware especially with names translated from other languages. Many languages do not have the same sounds and letters as English, so it is worthwhile spending a lot of time getting it right before you obtain a translated passport and any other documents where an overseas name is translated into English.
Airlines can charge for name changes and if they are really in a "Jobsworth" mood, will give you a cock and bull story about having to rebook, cancel the ticket and buy a new one. Remember, rules are made for a reason. In the case of name changes it is to stop the transfer of tickets amongst people. If you buy a cheap ticket, you take the penalties. If you want a flexible ticket, buy a flexible ticket. You can have three letters, so if this involves the airline in some work, because you are travelling to the US then they should simply change the ticket and stop giving you a hard time. That said, you will have to stand your ground!
Click on the "ESTA" box to go to the homeland security website - and it is free. Some websites look like the ESTA site and you wind up getting charged - ALL LINKS TO ESTA (HOMELAND SECURITY) are FREE from this website.
Entry Requirements
NOTE: You will still need to provide the airline you are travelling with the so-called "APIS" information. (Advanced Passenger Information Service). This includes you passport number, nationality, passport expiry date, your birth date, if you are male or female (if you are not sure about this, ask your Doctor). You may also be required to provide the address and zipcode of where you will be spending the first night after arrival and a note of who you voted for on X-Factor.
BUT at the end of the day, getting it right, first time, will make life so much easier.
Finally, with regard to Visas, Passports and having done the right things before you travel - AT THE END OF THE DAY IT IS YOUR JOB to check these things. The final responsibility rests with you, the traveller. Not your PA, not your agent YOU. YOU are travelling and so YOU must be sure that all the information about YOU is correct.