Group ESTA application: how does it work?

Traveling to New York with family or friends? Everyone, including children, needs to apply for an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization). This authorization is required for all Europeans visiting the United States under the visa waiver program. Each person must complete the form at least 72 hours before departure on the official ESTA website and pay a fee of $40.27 per person as of October 1, 2026.
To simplify the process, you can submit a single group application for your entire family or group. On the ESTA website homepage, click “New Application,” then “Group of Applications.” A group application can include up to 50 people.

What are the benefits of a group ESTA application?

• You pay all ESTA fees at once. If there are 4 of you, you pay $161.08 in a single transaction instead of making 4 separate payments of $40.27 each. This saves you money on currency conversion fees that your bank may charge when exchanging euros to dollars—ESTA only accepts dollar payments. Some banks charge a fixed fee for each dollar transaction.
• If you’re traveling with older adults who are less comfortable with online payments, a group application lets you manage their applications and handle the payment and logistics yourself.

How to submit a group ESTA application

• After clicking “Group of Applications,” you’ll first enter the contact details of the group organizer—the person responsible for the group. This person must be at least 18 years old.
• You’ll then reach a page to “manage the group” with a group ID, a reference number that lets you track application status and pay ESTA fees if you choose to pay later. Keep this number safe. You’ll receive a confirmation email when the group file is opened.
• Once you’ve created your contact, click “Add New Application” to enter the details of the first group member. You’ll fill out the same form for each person as you would for an individual application. For help, read my article on how to complete an ESTA application. You can also watch the ESTA video.
• When finished, return to the group management page to add the next person. Continue until all group members are in your file.
• Once everyone has been added, proceed to payment.

What to know about group ESTA applications

• If someone in your group already submitted an individual ESTA application but hasn’t paid yet, you can add them to your group from the group management page. Click “Add Unpaid Application,” then enter their details, including passport number. You can then retrieve their application and add it to your group for payment. This is useful if you’re traveling with many people and don’t want to fill out every form yourself: ask each person to complete their ESTA application without paying, then add them to the group.
• Even though payment is made as a group, each ESTA is approved individually. One group member’s ESTA can be denied while others are approved. Also, once approved, each person can travel independently to the United States during the 2-year validity of their ESTA. In other words, even if your ESTA was granted through a group application, you can take a different flight, arrive on a different day, and travel without the group during the 2-year validity period.