What can we do over Esta refusal?

Have a question? Ask our expert Simon Calder

A valid Esta is required for anyone without a visa who wants to enter the US by air (Getty/iStock)

Q My sister-in-law is planning an imminent trip in North America, first flying to western Canada then onwards to Washington DC. But she has just had her application for an Esta refused. It’s not clear why, but the only possible procedure seems to be to get an appointment at a US consulate. The first available one is after my sister-in-law departs for Calgary. What can we do?

Name withheld

A I am afraid to say that your sister-in-law has done what thousands of other prospective visitors to the US do: book travel without having the necessary permission to enter America.

A valid Esta (short for Electronic System for Travel Authorisation), available from esta.cbp.dhs.gov, is required for anyone who does not have a visa and wants to enter the US by air. An Esta may be refused for all sorts of reasons, for example because of sharing a name with someone on a “watch list”. But once a traveller has been rejected then the only solution is to go through the expensive and troublesome business of applying for a visa in person.

Yet there is a possible alternative for your sister-in-law: to see if she can get into the US overland. Travelling by road or rail does not require an Esta.

The best place to test this out is at Vancouver’s Union Station, the departure point for the Cascades train to Seattle. If she buys a ticket online (for as little as the equivalent of £25) she will be able to see if they allow her in under the longstanding visa waiver programme.

Should she get through, she will need to sort out travel to Washington DC, which would presumably be a flight; if she is booked to fly Vancouver-Washington on the same ticket as her transatlantic trip, she should try to change the ticket to start from Seattle. Otherwise she could be classed as a “no-show” and have the rest of the journey cancelled without refund.

Every day our travel correspondent Simon Calder tackles a reader’s question. Just email yours to s@hols.tv or tweet @simoncalder