19/03/2023
đŻđ Important information for ESTA applicants who have traveled to Cuba: The United States Department of State most recently designated Cuba as a State Sponsor of Terrorism (SST) on January 12, 2021. If a traveler is found to have visited a country designated as State Sponsor of Terrorism, then the traveler is no longer eligible to participate in the Visa Wavier Program or use ESTA. They must then apply for a visa to enter the United States. -- Applicants who traveled to Cuba prior to the SST designation date (January 12, 2021) remain eligible and can apply for an ESTA.
As has been the case since 2016, under the Visa Waiver Program Improvement and Terrorist Travel Prevention Act of 2015 (the Act), nationals of Visa Waiver Program countries who have traveled to, or been present in, Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, or Yemen on or after March 1, 2011, are no longer eligible for travel or admission to the United States under the VWP.
This restriction does not apply to VWP travelers whose presence in Iraq, Syria, Iran, Sudan, Libya, Somalia, or Yemen was to perform military service in the armed forces of a program country, or in order to carry out official duties as a full-time employee of the government of a program country. It is recommended for those individuals who have traveled to one or more of the three countries listed above for military/official purposes bring appropriate documentation with them when traveling through a U.S. port of entry.
