British Travelers to Pay to Enter the United Sates

It seems that the days of free entry to the United States could be coming to an end soon. British passengers that will be traveling to America starting this week will be refused entry unless they have completed an electronic approval form issued by the United States authorities before departure.

This new system, called the Electronic System of Travel Authorization, replaces the old arrangement where people would need to fill out a green card to enter the United States. This new scheme was introduced back in January of last year. However, it will finally become mandatory next Wednesday.

The new system will apply to all 35 countries that currently enjoy visa waiver status. An approved Electronic System of Travel Authorization is valid for two years and can be used for multiple entries into the United States.

British Airways and American Airlines have already been giving warnings for a week that they will not accept any passengers who have not been approved through the scheme. They are advising that travelers fill out the online form at least 72 hours before departure. Airlines had first feared that the new rules would cause a lot of chaos at British Airports, but the delay in the introduction has given passengers time to get use to it.

So this new system sounds like it’s pretty good. It sounds like it may be able to help people have to fill out less forums. However, the problem comes from the fact that the application is free for now, but it will likely be changed soon. Back in September the United States Senate voted in favor of charging tourists $10 to fill out these forums.