U.S. Customs and Border Protection has confirmed that travellers applying for an ESTA cannot use a passport photo for their ESTA photo, following reports that it is cancelling previously-approved ESTA applications where the application used a passport photograph.
However, the government department claims it is nothing new. A CBP spokesperson told Travel Today that during the ESTA application process, applicants are required to provide both a photo of their passport biographic page and a ‘selfie’ photograph.
“Applicants are instructed to ensure the selfie is not a copy of the photo in the passport and are informed that if they submit the same photo, the application will be cancelled,” adds the spokesperson. “US Customs and Border Protection recurrently vets approved ESTA applications throughout the authorisation period and may determine that an application status should be changed to ‘Travel Not Authorized.’”
CBP recommends that all travellers ensure accurate information is provided in the ESTA application, to include a valid selfie photograph. See more details HERE.
