Generally, obtaining an ESTA for the United States online is a simple and straightforward process.
However, some areas of the application can prove confusing for applicants with multiple passports who need to obtain a US ESTA for dual nationals.
Dual nationality means that a person has the right to claim multiple citizenships, for example, if a person’s parents come from 2 different countries.
Not all countries allow dual citizenship. Those that do offer their citizens the opportunity of a passport from 2 or sometimes more countries, which is where confusion sets in.
On this page, travelers with dual nationality can learn if they are eligible for an ESTA for the USA and which document to use to apply if they have multiple passports.
Which Travelers With Multiple Passports Need to Apply for an ESTA?
If an applicant has dual citizenship either with or without multiple passports they can still apply for an ESTA as long as at least one of the countries that issued their passport(s) is part of the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).
The Visa Waiver Program of the USA is an agreement between America and 42 other countries whose citizens are able to travel to the U.S. without the need to apply for an Embassy or Consulate visa.
The list of countries includes Australia, UK, New Zealand and most of the EU member states.
The VWP allows citizens with a passport from any of these countries to enter the United States without a visa. However, they are required to obtain an ESTA to visit the US.
To obtain an ESTA with dual citizenship, one passport must be from a visa waiver country, providing that the document meets the ESTA eligibility requirements.
It is not possible to apply for an ESTA for dual citizenship with no passport. It is imperative that before making any visa application the citizen obtains a passport from at least one visa waiver country in order to be eligible for the ESTA.
Once the applicant has a valid passport, they can complete the ESTA application form. Applying for ESTA with a passport that was not issued by a VWP country will result in denial.
Apply for ESTA dual citizenship
If I Have Dual Citizenship, which Passport Do I Use to Travel with the ESTA?
When travelers have dual nationality of two countries within the VWP they can choose to travel with either passport.
However, it is important to remember which one they used to register with ESTA, as the travel authorization will be electronically linked to just one document.
The same passport used to apply for ESTA must be presented upon arrival in the US.
If the traveler is applying for an ESTA with only one visa-exempt citizenship, it is obligatory to use that passport to apply for the ESTA and travel to the US.
With the other passport, the holder would need to apply for a visa from a US embassy or consulate.
US citizens with dual citizenship do no need an ESTA authorizaton. They can simply use thier US passport to enter the United States.
ESTA Passport Requirements for Dual Nationals
Travelers with dual nationality should keep the following in mind when deciding which passport to use for an ESTA application:
- The passport must be a biometric chip passport as the ESTA is linked electronically to the holder’s passport.
- The passport should be valid for at least 2 years from the issue of the ESTA.
While there is no minimum passport validity expressly required, if both passports are about to expire the holder should consider renewing one before applying for the ESTA.
An approved ESTA is valid for 2 years or until the passport expires. If a passport expires before the validity period of the ESTA is up, the traveler will have to reapply for an authorization to continue traveling to the United States.
How to Apply for an ESTA with Dual Citizenship
The process of applying for an ESTA with multiple citizenship is as simple as submitting an application for a traveler with only one passport.
There are only a couple of fields on the form the applicant should pay particular attention to.
When filling in the online form, applicants will find a tick box that asks whether they have any other passports besides the one they are using to complete the ESTA application.
The double foreign national will then need to indicate the information from both nationalities including both passport numbers, where applicable.
If the second passport is expired, they should still include the most recent passport information for that nationality.
Even if you don’t have a passport for the second country, you still need to disclose the citizenship, and you can leave the ‘Passport Number’ field blank, or enter zeroes if prompted.
The form also asks whether the applicant has held other nationalities in the past.
The applicant should state which country they were a citizen of, and for how long (indicating the exact dates).
In order to avoid an ESTA denial it is very important to double check that all the information is correct before submitting the form.
This will ensure that ESTA is digitally linked to the correct passport.