Transcript of the above video: 

At the title of this video suggests, we're discussing ESTA, that is the Electronic System for Travel Authorization. For those who are unaware, in the past, the US maintained what we call the Visa waiver program with certain nationalities, where basically in the past, basically before the George W. Bush Administration, you could get on a plane if you were British for example, and just fly into the United States and you would be stamped in, you would be given what we call here in Thailand a Visa exemption stamp effectively; you were waived in, you come in under Visa waiver, you are exempt from needing a Visa. 

Under George W. Bush, they created what was called the Electronic System for Travel Authorization - sometimes referred to as the “back door visa” - and basically it is called that because the administration can say, “hey you still don't need a visa to come to the US, but you have to use this online system; you have to check in with it; you have to put in your information and then be verified and approved before you can come to the US”. So as a practical matter, it's definitely what we would call, at least in the Thai Immigration vernacular today, akin to an “e-Visa”, is basically what it is. 

Now that said, it has recently come to my attention, the fees associated with that stuff have gone up. I think if I remember correctly, it was actually free when created but this is the nature of things, as things evolve. First of all, fees get tacked on and nothing ever seems to get easier. I thought of making this video after reading a recent excerpt/article I found on visasnews.com, the article is titled: U.S.: Visa applications now restricted to country of residence or nationality. A lot of information in there, I'm going to quote this one excerpt, quoting directly: "Additionally, the fee for the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), required for travelers from Visa Waiver Program countries, including most Europeans, will increase from $21 to $40 starting September 30, 2025."

So from now on, it looks like folks who want to go to the United States, again "strictly speaking" you are not getting a visa when going through ESTA, you are just doing this electronic thing, but as I said, in the vernacular of Thai Immigration, it looks exactly like an e-Visa to me, and now it has gone from $21 to process that to $40 to process that. 

So moving forward, it is going to be $40 to process through the ESTA system. So something to keep track of and we will certainly be keeping you updated on this channel as the situation evolves.