🇺🇸 Visa & customs Entry warning

US ESTA approval and the customs bans people get caught by

Travel to the United States, including Hawaii and Guam, requires an approved ESTA obtained at least 72 hours before departure.

As of 2026-08-18

This is the Visa & customs item for a trip to the United States. The 3 checkpoints below can only be settled properly before you leave — put them off and you queue at an airport desk or spend the first day on them instead. Work through them once and nothing has to be reopened.

Key checkpoints

Use the official site (esta.cbp.dhs.gov) and pay the $21 fee — third-party agents charge $80–$100 for the same thing
Any processed food containing meat is strictly banned (beef paste, jerky, noodle soup sachets) and will be confiscated and fined
Have your return e-ticket and accommodation booking ready to show at the border

What to do before departure, in order

Two rules decide the order. First, anything with a deadline — pre-registration, bookings, documents to be issued: miss the cut-off and there is no substitute. Then whatever also works locally, which costs little to postpone.

Most of the items above can only be done before you leave. After arrival, patchy connectivity and opening hours make them harder, so finish what you can while you are still at home.

What to pay attention to in the United States

US routes require electronic travel authorisation in advance, and approval can take time. Applying right before departure risks being denied boarding while it is still pending.

Border questioning is detailed, so be ready to state the purpose of your stay and where you are staying.

Official sources behind this article

The steps, fees and deadlines above were checked against 1 official source listed below — pages published by the body that runs the scheme itself, with the issuing institution named after each. Where they disagree with this page, they are right. Fees and forms change without notice, so open them once more before you travel.

Baggage rules covered by this article

2 items named in this article are also governed by airport screening and airline rules. Check the cabin/checked verdict before you split your bags. The verdicts below are about what may fly; an item the destination country bans outright is a separate matter.

The rules behind those baggage verdicts

The baggage verdicts above follow from 1 Korean rule listed below, named in the original Korean because that is how they are indexed at the national law database. These are the rules themselves, not an airline summary — when screening staff disagree, this is the text that decides. What they settle is whether an item may fly; an item the destination country bans outright is governed by that country's own rules.