U.S. Customs and Border Protection
Securing America's Borders
CBP INFO Center
Citizen of Visa Waiver Country, wants to drive into U.S. from Canada or Mexico, or arrive at a port of call in the U.S. by cruise ship
If I am in Canada or Mexico and want to drive to the U.S., do I need to apply for ESTA?
If you are a citizen of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and you enter the U.S. by land from Mexico or Canada, you are only required to complete the paper I-94W form at the land border crossing. ESTA is currently required for air and cruise ship travel only.
Note: VWP citizens do not need an ESTA to travel on the ferries between Vancouver and Victoria, BC and Washington state. They are treated as a land border port.
If coming by sea, as long as it is a cruise ship, you will need to apply for ESTA (check the ESTA Web site for approved cruise lines.) If you are coming in a private sailing vessel, ESTA is not an issue since you must have a visa to arrive in the U.S. by that mode. VWP is not approved for travel to the U.S. on a pleasure boat.
Beginning September 8, 2010, there is a fee required by the Travel Promotion Act of 2009. The fee is comprised of two parts:
- Processing Charge -- All applicants requesting an electronic travel authorization are charged for the processing of the application. The fee is $4.00.
- Authorization Charge -- If your application is approved and you receive authorization to travel to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program, an additional $10.00 will be charged to your credit card. If your electronic travel authorization is denied, you are only charged for the processing of your application.
CBP is not responsible for any additional fees that may be charged by your credit card company for the transaction.
If you wish to receive automatic updates to this Q&A, select "Subscribe to Updates" on the left side of this screen.
Updated 11/13/2015 03:02 PM
Was this answer helpful?
Please tell us how we can make this answer more useful. Do not submit a question through this page, it will not be answered.