United States Customs and Border Protection (“CBP”) announced the fee to travel to the United States utilizing the Visa Waiver Program (“VWP”) will increase from $14 to $21, effective May 26. 2022. The fee increase will affect those traveling to the US under the VWP, which permits citizens or nationals of forty participating countries to travel to the US for tourism or business for stays of ninety days or less utilizing electronic travel authorization through the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (“ESTA”) .

CBP has updated its application website to reflect the new charge and is addressing Frequently Asked Questions regarding the fee change as well. The change in fee reflects the increase in the travel promotion fee, which is also known as the authorization charge, from $10 to $17. The additional $4 operational fee included in the ESTA fee will remain the same, which brings the total cost to $21. The fee increase is the first since 2015 and is expected to remain through 2027.