New US Visa: Technophobes Need Not Apply
Posted on December 04, 2008 by Fiona Hilliard
Planning to hit the post-Christmas sales in the US? Apart from booking your flights, hotel and car hire, you’ll now need to add something else to your ‘to do’ list. From January 12 2009, US authorities require all travellers to fill in an online form at least three days before they travel to ensure they are cleared by the US Department of Homeland Security.
The Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), it replaces the I-94 form, which is currently handed out during the flight to passengers from Europe and a number of other countries who do not require visas.
However, the form can only be filled in online and the US Embassy is making no provision for the millions of people who do not have access to the internet.
When asked what these people should do, a spokesman said: “For those who don’t have access to the internet, it’s best to contact a friend, family member, colleague or travel agent who is online, any of those folks are able to fill out the Esta form on behalf of the traveller.”
The Telegraph newspaper did some digging at the Office for National Statistics and found that up to eight million homes in the UK do not have an internet connection, either because they do not understand how it works, do not need it, or cannot afford a computer.
So it seems if you’re not online, you’re a nobody as far as the US is concerned. Has the internet become the great divider? Should the travel industry be putting all its eggs into one giant online basket? Drop us a comment and let us know what you think!
Written by Fiona Hilliard
About the Author: Fiona likes to travel – especially to cities. Her favourites include: New York, London, Copenhagen, Madrid and Lisbon.
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