Can I enter the US with a typo in my ESTA application?
I'm flying to the US in two days and just realized I made a mistake in my ESTA application (I'm a EU citizen). Specifically, I mistook an O (the letter) for a 0 (the number) when entering my passport number. The O/0 difference cannot be seen on the passport, but it's machine-readable.
Do I have a chance of entering?
Best Answer
First, check if there really is a typo. As pointed out by @J.Constantine in comments, many countries do not put O's (the letter) on passport numbers for exactly this reason. Germany would be an example.
As pointed out by @phoog again in comments above, you should be able to tell O from 0 in the machine-readable zone. The letter is oval, and the digit is like a rounded rectangle.
If your typo remains a typo, do a new application!
This source (in German) says you will not even get your boarding pass handed over when your airline controls whether you have a valid ESTA upon check-in. However for me that check has never been thorough enough that they would have found a typo so you might be able to go ahead still.
However at immigration in the U.S. this will be noticed and then pray for a nice immigration officer. Here is a report (in German again) of someone who ran into this and was able to redo their ESTA at an internet cafe at the airport. Apparently this mistake is not unheard of but better correcting sooner than later.
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Can you edit an ESTA application?
Prior to payment, you can amend all the details in your application. Once you have paid and submitted your ESTA application, there are some mistakes that you can amend but the majority will require for you to submit a completely new application.Can you be denied entry with ESTA?
If you already have an approved ESTA, you may still be denied entry to the United States without a visa refusal. On the one hand, the ESTA or any other visa does not guarantee that you can enter the USA. The customs and border guards alone decide whether you are allowed to enter or not.What reasons would an ESTA be denied?
The most common reasons for rejection of ESTA application In the past, overstayed when visited the US. In the past, worked without required VISA and pointed out from authorities when visited the US. In the past, rejected the entry to the US for some reasons. In the past, deported for some reasons after staying the US.Can I change my ESTA details?
You will need to either submit a new application with the corrected fields, or, if you made a mistake on the eligibility questions two through nine, you can contact the ESTA team to make change and fix a mistake on your ESTA application.Fixing a mistake on your ESTA application
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