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Can an ESTA be activated at the Canadian border if travelling by car or do you have to be flown into the country for it to be activated?

Also, I know there is a clause that says "there should be a reasonable amount of time between visits so that the CBP Officer does not think you are trying to live here. There is no set requirement for how long you must wait between visits." If i was re-entering the states the same day I left, and with a flight booked for England 4 days later, would you think a reasonable CBP officer would let me through?

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  • what do you mean by "activated"? ESTA is not a visa, its a "travel authorization" for people from countries that can enter the USA visa free
    – EdmundYeung99
    Commented Sep 11, 2015 at 2:08
  • Presumably he means the start o the 90 day period.
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Sep 11, 2015 at 3:57
  • Re your second part (please keep posts to single questions, ideally) - we already have this on here: travel.stackexchange.com/questions/13964/… :D
    – Mark Mayo
    Commented Sep 11, 2015 at 3:58
  • ESTA does not have a 90 day period.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Sep 11, 2015 at 19:30
  • Whether or not a reasonable CBP admits you four days before your flight out is going to depend on how long you were in the States before that.
    – DJClayworth
    Commented Sep 11, 2015 at 19:32

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According to US Customs and Border Protection Agency no. All you will need is to fill out an I-94W form at the land border crossing:

If you are a citizen of a country that participates in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP), and you enter the U.S. by land from Mexico or Canada, you are only required to complete the paper I-94W form at the land border crossing. ESTA is currently required for air and cruise ship travel only.

ESTA is only necessary when arriving by air or sea.

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  • 1
    It's not strictly necessary, but helpful. The CBP were not amused when my parents entered the US from Canada without an ESTA. Having an ESTA allows you to forego filling in the I-94W. Admittedly they weren't amused either when I tried to enter with an ESTA but at least I didn't have to do any paperwork.
    – Tom van der Zanden
    Commented Sep 11, 2015 at 6:49
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    Admittedly they are not amused even if you have a US passport but I digress. :)
    – Karlson
    Commented Sep 11, 2015 at 13:19
  • @TomvanderZanden but CBP's own web site says that ESTA is not applicable for land entry: help.cbp.gov/app/answers/detail/a_id/1258/~/…
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 18, 2015 at 10:12
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    @phoog The site says it's not needed. It does help though as they will already have your information and you won't have to fill out a form on site.
    – Tom van der Zanden
    Commented Sep 18, 2015 at 11:54
  • @TomvanderZanden I was unaware of that. My wife has a visa, so I've never dealt with ESTA directly.
    – phoog
    Commented Sep 24, 2015 at 22:22

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