ESTA Fee Rises to $40.62: What Travelers Now Pay

Visitors who travel to the United States on the Visa Waiver Program now pay slightly more for their Electronic System for Travel Authorization. According to US Customs and Border Protection, the system update needed to collect the new amount took effect on October 16, 2026, and the ESTA fee is now $40.62, up from $40.27. The change is small, but it affects every traveller applying from now on, including those flying through a US gateway on the way to a Caribbean or Mexican resort.

What changed

The increase is a statutory inflation adjustment. A Federal Register notice on the fiscal year 2027 adjustments for certain DHS immigration-related fees, published on October 1, 2026, sets October 16, 2026 as the date CBP begins assessing the new amounts for the ESTA, I-94 and EVUS fees described in that notice. CBP’s ESTA site says that all unpaid ESTA applications in the system after the update on October 16 are subject to the new fee.

In practical terms, if you started an application before the date but had not paid, the new amount applies. If you already hold a valid ESTA, nothing changes for you until you need to apply again.

How the $40.62 breaks down

The notice describes the inflation-adjusted fiscal year 2027 ESTA fee as $40.62 per travel authorisation, made up of three parts:

$17
$10.62, a cost-recovery portion
$13

The cost-recovery portion is charged even when an application is denied. A denied application therefore still costs $10.62, which the notice says covers the cost of providing and administering the ESTA system. That is worth keeping in mind if you have any doubt about your eligibility, for example because of a past visa refusal or a recent period in a country that triggers extra screening.

Why you should only apply through the official site

The fee is set by the government, and CBP has said in its FAQ that DHS does not have the legal authority to waive it. That FAQ is older, so treat it as background rather than current policy. The more useful point for travellers is that the fee is the same wherever you pay it, but third-party websites can add their own service charges on top. Look for the official CBP ESTA domain and check the address carefully before you enter any passport details. Search results and adverts can place unofficial lookalike sites above the real one. Our guide to common travel scams and the habits that close them off covers the habits that help.

How this fits into trip planning

An ESTA is one of several small costs that can be missed when a trip is priced. The fee is modest next to flights and accommodation, but it adds up for a family, because each traveller needs their own authorisation. A family of four pays four fees. If you are building a budget, include it alongside other incidentals. Our guide to how to build the real total cost of an all-inclusive stay shows how to account for the extras that sit outside the resort price.

A short checklist

Check whether your nationality uses the Visa Waiver Program and whether your trip requires an ESTA at all.
Apply only through the official CBP website, and confirm the web address before you pay.
Apply well ahead of travel, so a query on your application does not collide with your flight date.
Make sure the name and passport number match your travel document exactly.
Check your passport validity before you apply. Our guide to the international document checklist lists the other documents to check.

What we have not verified

We have taken the amount, the breakdown and the effective date from CBP’s ESTA site and the Federal Register notice as reported in official summaries. We have not reproduced the full notice, and we have not covered the changes to the I-94 or EVUS fees that the same notice addresses. Fees and rules can change, so confirm the current amount on the official CBP ESTA site when you apply.