ESTA and entry: the checklist

Everything you arrange before departure and what to expect at the border. The only checklist you need for a holiday up to 90 days.

What is ESTA?

ESTA is the electronic travel authorization for the Visa Waiver Program. Dutch citizens can travel up to 90 days for tourism or business. Apply at esta.cbp.dhs.gov, cost $21, valid 2 years or until your passport expires. Apply at least 72 hours before departure; it's usually approved within an hour.

Only esta.cbp.dhs.gov is official. Sites charging $50–100 are middlemen. Visited Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Libya, Yemen, Somalia, North Korea or Cuba after 2011? You'll need a visa instead of ESTA.

Pre-departure checklist

Passport valid for the whole trip (no 6-month rule for the Dutch, but don't take chances). 2. ESTA approved; keep a screenshot. 3. Travel insurance with worldwide cover and medical costs ≥ €1 million. 4. Return or onward ticket. 5. Address of your first stay (hotel/Airbnb) for the ESTA form and customs. 6. Credit card that works outside Europe. 7. Driver's license if renting a car. 8. eSIM installed. 9. Medication in original packaging with prescription.

At the border (CBP)

At LAX immigration: passport, fingerprints and photo. Questions are short: purpose, how long, where you're staying. Answer briefly and honestly ('Vacation, two weeks, hotel in Santa Monica'). Never say you're going to 'work', even if you bring your laptop for your Dutch employer; 'business meetings' is the right term if that applies. LAX wait: 30–90 minutes.

Download the Mobile Passport Control (MPC) app: free, official from CBP, and often a separate, shorter line.

Customs: what can you bring?

Up to $800 in gifts duty-free, 1 liter of alcohol (21+), 200 cigarettes. Don't bring: fresh fruit, meat products and dairy. Cheese is officially a gray area (hard cheese is usually fine, always declare it). Sprinkles and licorice are fine. More than $10,000 in cash? Declare it.

After landing at LAX