Visit to the USA with ESTA approved before trip to Iran
I have a question since I have a new passport with which I have already traveled with a validated ESTA to the USA. In 2 weeks I am leaving for Iran and then I will need to go back to the US for work. Since now the Iranian visa is not applied directly on the passport but is a separate paper, do I need to apply for a US visa even though I have already a validated ESTA and my passport does not show an Iranian visa?
I am scared than if I travel to the US after my Iran trip with the ESTA and then I apply for a visa, they will ask me when the trip in Iran was and that date is antecedent to the visa request and they might then not validate the visa.
Best Answer
According to the US's CBP (my emphasis),
Under the Act, travelers in the following categories are no longer eligible to travel or be admitted to the United States, without a waiver, under the VWP:
- Nationals of VWP countries who have traveled to or been present in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, or Yemen at any time on or after March 1, 2011 (with limited exceptions); and
- Nationals of VWP countries who are also nationals of Iraq, Syria, Iran, or Sudan.
There are a few exceptions for official government travel, which I presume do not apply to you (please check).
The ESTA is not a visa, it is authorization to get on a plane. Since your trip to Iran will result in ineligibility to enter the US without a visa, you must apply for a visa.
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Can I get an ESTA if I have Travelled to Iran?
Travellers that have ever been to Iran or Iraq are not always able to apply for an ESTA. This also holds for travellers that have ever been to Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya or Somalia. This concerns trips that were made after 1 March 2011.Can I enter the US with an ESTA visa?
An approved ESTA allows you to travel to a U.S. port-of-entry (generally an airport) and request permission to enter the United States, but an approved ESTA does not guarantee entry into the United States.Can you enter the US if you have been in Iraq?
Travelers who want to study or work in America or want to live in America must also apply for a visa. If you have visited in the past (after 1 March 2011) one of the following countries you also must apply for a visa. These countries are: Iran, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Sudan, Yemen or Somalia.Do This BEFORE Flying To USA - ESTA
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Answer 2
I think the safest option is to ask Iran's border police to not stamp on your passport when your enter and leave Iran. There is a law in Iran that allows you to ask this, and it was issued to bypass USA VWP. In this way, nobody in US finds out about your travel to Iran.
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