And I am sure that an eVisa will result in a passport stamp in Burma too!!!

Cheers,

Bob

When estas are in force,  passports are  still stamped on entering the US and Sri  Lanka , so it's win win. 

win.

Thanks Julia and Sarah. I will get ESTA for the Costa Rica trip next year. I am sure it will come in handy if it lasts for 3 years as am planning to do the Alaska trip in the near future.

Regards

Jaya

I'm with you Pahill..... especially as I now have a brand new passport - with no stamps or visas in it. Also if JY do the visa for me, it's one less thing to worry about.

One reason for wanting a paper visa is for posterity as something to look back on in future years when your passport is full of visas and travel stamps.

Hi Jaya,

I got my own esta with no trouble. I paid by credit card, charged in dollars. The esta is valid for three years, so you would be able to use it again.  I even recieved an email recently from the US Department  of Home Security to remind me my esta was about to expire.  As I'm sure you know, make sure you use the official US  government website,  and not one of the many spoof sites where you will be charged a large fee.  The cost has probably gone up by now, but I think I paid  about twelve dollars.

Hi Jaya,

Under the current entry requirements, you are still required to have an ESTA.

I have taken the following from the US customs & Border protection website (https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/application.html?execution=e2s1):

Do I still need and ESTA if I am a citizen of a VWP country and am traveling to the United States by air to transit the U.S.?

Yes. You must apply for ESTA even if you are only transiting the U.S. In the address field of the application, write "In Transit."

Hope this helps.

Kindest regards,

Julia

I am pleased to know that you can get an E-Visa for Sri Lanka. I guess the only difference with Just You organising the Visa and one doing it personally is that Just You would make sure there are no mistakes in the application. Also, where E-Visas are not available you will not waste a lot of your time going to and from the Embassies.

I just have one question - would one need an ESTA if only passing through (changing flights) the USA? The Cost Rica/Nicaragua trip in March is with United Airlines with a change at Houston. I do not want to waste money if one is not required.

Jaya

Thanks Jonah that's  very reassuring.

I did this trip in February this year.  I was away for Christmas and sent my passport on 2nd January when the post had returned to normal and it was back in a fortnight