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topicnews · July 20, 2025

US migration fees for tourists. The Esta will cost so much.

US migration fees for tourists. The Esta will cost so much.


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  • The fees for travel engineering systems such as ESTA and Evus are increasing.
  • A new “visa integrity fee” of $ 250 is not added to immigration visual applications.
  • These changes aim to increase the financing of border security and travel programs, but some experts fear that they could deter tourism.

Corrections and clarifications: A previous version of this story has false a quote to Jorge Loweree.

The costs for arrival to the United States are increasing.

The recently adopted legislative package (as a large law on a large, beautiful law) contains a new law to approved fees for travelers who use the electronic system for travel assistant (ESTA) or the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS) systems and new fees for migrants at the limit.

Of at least 13 ETA fees of 13 US dollars up to 5,000 US dollars for arrests for people without papers, the law changes the financial landscape of entering the USA

While the United States is trying to attract more global tourists, it is also seriously with fees that affect the border crossing for both travelers and migrants.

What is the “Visa integrity fee” for non -immigrants -Visa?

The VISA integrity fee is a mandatory fee of $ 250, which is to be paid by non -immigration visa. In addition to other existing visa -related fees, it is applied.

The purpose of the fee is to support the enforcement and administrative efforts in connection with the USVISA guidelines and border security.

“If an additional fee of 250 US dollars is connected, the very real potential, the number of people who can afford to reduce”, Jorge LowerePresent Managing Director of Programs and Strategy in the American Immigration Council told USA. “There are hundreds of thousands of people who receive Visa and permission from the Foreign Ministry of temporarily coming to the United States every month.”

The VISA integrity fee replaces other fees such as the DS-160 registration fee, biometry or reciprocity fees and cannot be lifted or reduced. The law also does not limit how the fee can be increased or applied in the categories of the visa so that it can be implemented to the secretary of the homeland protection authority via the regulations.

The President and CEO of the US Travel Association, Geoff Freeman, said in a statement after approval of the legislative package by the congress:

This legislation is a huge step in the right direction when it comes to improving America's travel infrastructure and security. Fat prints, necessary investments in air traffic control, customs and border protection will make a meaningful difference in the experience of the traveler … The intelligent investments in the travel process make stupid new fees for foreign visitors and the reduction of Brand USA, America's advertising arm, so much more difficult to swallow. To make America the most visited goal of the world – and the useful use of the upcoming Olympic Games in summer – requires more intelligent politics and legislative changes that we are already pursuing.

Brand USA did not make a comment.

How much does the ESTA fee cost for entry into the USA?

As part of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the congress expanded the financing for Brand USA by reaffirming the ESTA fee structure and introducing mandatory fee increases.

From the 2025 financial year, the law stipulates that ESTA encompasses “at least 13 US dollars per travel eligibility”. It also links future increases with the consumer price index and enables the annual inflation-based adjustments from 2026. Currently, the US General Services Administration is making the total costs of $ 21.

“Some of these political decisions are incoherent,” said Loweree. “You see increases in fees at one end and on the other side that the goal is to increase tourism.”

The law also codifies a new fee for Evus, which is used by certain Chinese nationals and has set a minimum of $ 30 or more at the discretion of DHS.

As with the ESTA fee, the Evus fee increases annually due to inflation.

There is also a separate 5,000 US dollar “inadmissible extraterrestrial fears” that are used for those trapped between the entrance ports.

Who has to apply for Esta?

US -customs and border protection recommends that the citizens from countries of the Visa reference program who have no visitor and plan to be 90 days or less in the USA.

Which countries are part of the Visa reference program?

  • Andorra
  • Australia
  • Austria
  • Belgium
  • Brunei
  • Chile
  • Croatia
  • Czech Republic
  • Denmark
  • Estonia
  • Finland
  • France
  • Germany
  • Greece
  • Hungary
  • Iceland
  • Ireland
  • Israel
  • Italy
  • Japan
  • Latvia
  • Liechtenstein
  • Lithuania
  • Luxembourg
  • Malta
  • Monaco
  • Netherlands
  • New Zealand
  • Norway
  • Poland
  • Portugal
  • Qatar
  • San Marino
  • Singapore
  • Slovakia
  • Slovenia
  • South Korea
  • Spain
  • Sweden
  • Switzerland
  • Taiwan is also included, although they were not recognized as an independent country by the United States
  • United Kingdom

This story has been updated to add new information.

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