ESTA and entry rules for a Miami trip

What the ESTA actually is

The single most repeated mistake about entering the United States for a Miami trip is calling the ESTA a visa. It is not one. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization is an online screening form for citizens of the 42 countries in the Visa Waiver Program (VWP). It tells US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) who is arriving before the flight even boards, and it replaces the need for a visa for short tourist and business trips — but it is a travel authorisation, not a visa, and the difference matters at the border.

Apply only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov. That is the sole official channel. Search results for “ESTA application” turn up a long list of third-party sites that copy the government form and charge a markup, sometimes double or triple the real fee, for filling in the same fields you can fill in yourself in about ten minutes. None of them are required, none of them speed up the process, and none of them are endorsed by CBP. If a site is not esta.cbp.dhs.gov, close the tab.

If your passport is not from a Visa Waiver Program country, none of this applies to you: you need a B-2 visitor visa instead, arranged before you travel, not on arrival. The list of covered countries changes occasionally, so check current VWP membership on the CBP or State Department site rather than assuming last year’s list still applies.

This page stays narrowly on entry paperwork. For everyday safety questions in Miami and Miami Beach, see Is Miami safe for tourists?; for a broader first-trip orientation — money, tipping, neighbourhoods, what to expect — see First time in Miami: what to know before you go.

The facts that matter

Item	Detail
Cost	40.27 USD (from 1 January 2026; the fee is adjusted periodically by the US government)
Where to apply	esta.cbp.dhs.gov only
Validity	2 years, or until passport expiry, whichever comes first
Maximum stay per trip	90 days
Passport required	Biometric, machine-readable passport with a chip
Guarantees entry?	No — a CBP officer decides at the border every time
Multiple trips?	Yes, one approved ESTA can cover repeat visits within its validity

Two years sounds long, but it is tied to your passport: if your passport expires in eight months, your ESTA expires with it, regardless of the two-year figure on the approval. Renewing your passport means applying for a new ESTA, not transferring the old one.

The 90-day limit is per stay, and it is a hard ceiling under the Visa Waiver Program — there is no extension process available to VWP travellers inside the country. Anyone who needs longer than 90 days in the US, for any reason, needs a visa instead of an ESTA from the start.

Who needs a B-2 visa instead

A B-2 visitor visa, arranged at a US embassy or consulate before departure, is required for:

• Citizens of any country not in the Visa Waiver Program.
• VWP citizens who have travelled to Cuba on or after 12 January 2021.
• VWP citizens who have travelled to Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen on or after 1 March 2011.

These restrictions were added to the ESTA screening system some years ago and they still trip up VWP travellers who assume a Cuba stopover or a work trip to one of those countries does not matter. It does. An ESTA application flagged for one of these countries is typically denied outright, and the applicant is redirected to the standard visa process, which takes longer and requires an in-person interview at a consulate. If any of this applies to you, start the visa process well before booking flights — not after an ESTA rejection forces a rebooking.

Applying: what actually happens

The ESTA form asks for passport details, a US contact address (a hotel in Miami or Miami Beach is fine), and a short set of eligibility questions. Most applications are approved within minutes; CBP states up to 72 hours in some cases, so applying at least a few days before departure is sensible, not just a formality. Pay the 40.27 USD fee on the same official site — no other charges should apply.

An approved ESTA is checked electronically by the airline before boarding and again by CBP on arrival, typically at Miami International (MIA) or, for travellers connecting through Fort Lauderdale, at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood (FLL). Passport control at both airports asks the same basic questions as any US entry: purpose of trip, length of stay, address while in the country. Answering with the actual hotel or itinerary is simpler than it sounds, and inconsistent or evasive answers are what actually slows a line down, not the ESTA itself.

None of this guarantees entry. The ESTA authorises travel to the border; the CBP officer at the airport makes the final call on admission, exact length of stay granted, and any conditions. It is unusual for an ESTA holder to be refused entry with a straightforward tourist itinerary, but it is not impossible, and the ESTA approval is not a legal right of entry.

Every traveller needs their own approved ESTA, and that includes children and infants: a parent’s or group leader’s approval does not extend to anyone else on the booking, and an airline can deny boarding to any single passenger who is missing one, even if the rest of the party is cleared. Families and groups travelling to Miami together should check each passport separately on esta.cbp.dhs.gov rather than assuming a household submission covers everyone — each application is tied to one specific passport number, not to a family name or a booking reference. For the wider logistics of a family trip once everyone has landed, see Miami with kids: what actually works for families.

Arriving and getting into the city

Once you have cleared passport control, getting from the airport into Miami or Miami Beach is straightforward. MIA sits west of Downtown and connects to the Metrorail Orange Line; FLL is about 30 miles (48 km) north and often has cheaper fares for the same dates, at the cost of a longer transfer. A prearranged transfer removes the guesswork after a long flight — useful the first time you land, when the ESTA process and immigration queue have already used up your patience for logistics:

a private transfer that picks you up directly at MIA or FLL and drops you at your hotel in Miami or Miami Beach

For the drive from the airport, transport options and tolls, see From Miami International Airport to Miami Beach. Once you are settled, an orientation loop through Downtown, Brickell and the causeways is a reasonable way to place the city on the map before deciding what to prioritise:

a guided city tour covering Downtown, Brickell and the bay

For a faster, on-the-water version of the same idea on a first free afternoon, once the passport queue and the ESTA questions are behind you:

a jetcar tour along Biscayne Bay

Domestic day trips don’t trigger any of this

It is worth being clear about what does not count as international travel, because the Bahamas rule below trips people up precisely because everything else on a Miami trip feels similar and is not. A day trip north to Things to do in Fort Lauderdale or Fort Lauderdale day trip from Miami: canals, boat taxis and the beach, or south along the Overseas Highway to the Keys — see Driving the Overseas Highway to Key West — stays entirely inside the United States. No passport check, no re-entry stamp, no effect on your ESTA or your 90-day count, no matter how far you drive or how long the day runs. The only step in this section that has any immigration consequence at all is crossing to another country, which on this coast means the Bahamas.

The Bahamas day-trip trap

A day cruise or fast ferry from Miami or Fort Lauderdale to Bimini or Grand Bahama (Freeport) is one of the more popular add-ons for a Miami trip, and it is genuinely worth doing — see Bahamas day trip from Miami: what to know before you book for the practical side. The immigration side is where people get caught out.

The Bahamas is a separate country. Leaving US soil for even a few hours is international travel, which means:

• A passport is required, even for a same-day trip.
• Your ESTA (or valid visa) must still be valid to re-enter the United States afterward.
• The time spent in the Bahamas counts inside your 90-day Visa Waiver Program allowance — it is not a reset, and it is not “outside” the count because the trip is short.

In practice this rarely causes a problem for someone on a one- or two-week Miami holiday, since a single day trip barely dents a 90-day allowance. It becomes relevant for anyone stacking a long US stay close to the 90-day ceiling and assuming a Bahamas excursion buys extra days — it does not. If your trip is already running close to 90 days, do the arithmetic before booking a Bahamas add-on, not after.

Common mistakes worth avoiding

• Calling it a “visa ESTA.” It confuses the paperwork you actually need and can lead to applying on the wrong site.
• Applying on a non-government site. Same form, extra fee, no benefit.
• Assuming the ESTA guarantees entry. It authorises travel to the border; CBP decides admission.
• Forgetting the passport-expiry link. An ESTA tied to a passport that expires next month is worth less than its “2 years” label suggests.
• Ignoring the Cuba and listed-country restriction. It is a common source of unexpected ESTA denials among otherwise eligible VWP travellers.
• Treating a Bahamas day trip as a reset. It is not; it counts against the same 90 days.
• Applying at the last minute. Approval is usually fast, but building in a few days avoids a stressful wait right before departure.

A note on general safety and orientation

This page is deliberately limited to entry paperwork. For questions about safety day to day in Miami and Miami Beach — areas to be mindful of, common scams, general precautions — see Is Miami safe for tourists?. For a wider first-timer’s briefing that covers money, tipping, getting around and what to expect on arrival beyond immigration, see First time in Miami: what to know before you go and Miami’s mainland neighbourhoods: Downtown, Little Havana, Wynwood, Coral Gables.

If your trip includes both Miami and a Bahamas add-on, Miami and a Bahamas day trip: a 5-day itinerary lays out a realistic combined schedule, and the tax and tipping side of a US trip — separate from entry rules — is covered in Miami tipping, taxes and resort fees explained. A quick reference for visa questions specifically is also kept at ESTA Entry Checker, alongside the rest of the planning tools at Travel tips for Miami.

For travellers heading further south to the Keys after Miami, the same ESTA and 90-day rules apply throughout the trip; see Key West day trip from Miami: is it worth the drive? for the driving side of that leg, and Key West and Bahamas day trips from Miami: Bimini and Grand Bahama for the destinations themselves. Airport-side transfer options beyond the private car above are covered in Miami airport and cruise port transfers: what actually works, and travellers wanting an evening on the water after a paperwork-heavy arrival day can look at:

a private yacht rental on Biscayne Bay

For a look at the destination itself, Miami is the starting hub, and a fast waterfront ride is a lighter way to spend a first free afternoon once the immigration formalities are behind you.

Entry rules for a Miami trip: the questions people actually ask

Is the ESTA a visa?

No. It is an electronic travel authorisation for Visa Waiver Program citizens, checked before boarding and again at the border. A CBP officer still decides on admission when you arrive.

How much does the ESTA cost and where do I apply?

40.27 USD as of 1 January 2026, paid only at esta.cbp.dhs.gov. Any other site charging more for the same form is a paid intermediary, not a requirement.

How long is an ESTA valid, and how long can I stay?

Two years, or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner. Each individual stay is capped at 90 days regardless of the ESTA’s own validity window.

Who needs a B-2 visa instead of an ESTA?

Citizens of non-Visa Waiver Program countries, plus VWP citizens who travelled to Cuba since 12 January 2021 or to Iran, Iraq, North Korea, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, Syria or Yemen since 1 March 2011.

Does a Bahamas day trip from Miami reset my 90 days?

No. Time spent in the Bahamas on a day cruise or ferry still counts inside your 90-day US allowance; it does not restart the clock on return.

Can an ESTA be denied, or does it guarantee entry?

It can be denied at application, and even an approved ESTA does not guarantee entry — the CBP officer at the border makes the final decision every time.

What passport do I need for the Visa Waiver Program?

A biometric, machine-readable passport with an embedded chip. Older passports without a chip are not accepted under the Visa Waiver Program, ESTA or not.