2,545 posts
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Post by viserys on Feb 16, 2017 11:38:03 GMT
Yes, that was my experience. Second time on the same ESTA, no interview. Because one of the key things is they want to make sure you leave the country after your visit! So if you've come and gone before, this isn't an issue. What if you have been in and out but have just now got a new ESTA? Eh, I'll need to queue to see a human being anyway. The chip in my passport is borked somehow, the e-Gates in Heathrow and St. Pancras haven't worked for me recently either
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Xanderl
Member
Not always very high value in terms of ticket yield or donations
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Post by Xanderl on Feb 16, 2017 11:43:53 GMT
Not sure - but pretty sure I was directed to the automated window by a sign that said something about "the same ESTA"
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4,369 posts
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Post by Michael on Feb 16, 2017 11:54:52 GMT
I think you must have been to the US at least once since 2008 and they must have taken your fingerprints and photo. You can then use the APC (automated passport control) kiosks even if the ESTA is new.
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833 posts
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Post by Steffi on Feb 16, 2017 16:39:10 GMT
It doesn't matter if the ESTA is new as long as it is still the same passport. Once you get a new passport you will have to queue regularly on your first entry. After that it's Returning ESTA again until that passport expires.
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2,545 posts
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Post by viserys on Feb 16, 2017 20:27:41 GMT
the e-Gates in Heathrow and St. Pancras haven't worked for me recently either If it started happening just after 24th June last year, it may not be the chip... Hah, I see what you're getting at and I realize it's actually true that it started after 24th June. Need to try in another country I guess, so maybe I will try in Houston next week, I've been in and out of the US three times on that passport before. I'm just worried that I'll be wasting time on the automated kiosks while the queues for human passport control grow and grow. The folks at the Eurostar terminal are sweet though. It didn't work in November, so next time I passed through this January, I wanted to get into the long line for human passport control, telling the guy who wanted to shoo me to the e-Gates "Nope, sorry, doesn't work for my passport for some reason" and he was like "try anyway!" with a meaningful look, so I tried and failed and the other guy who was minding the e-Gates let me jump the long queue to be next at human passport control.
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