Form I-94 (Arrival/Departure Record) and Form I-94W (Nonimmigrant Visa Waiver Arrival/Departure Record) are used to document a traveler's admission into the United States. These forms include date of arrival, visa classification and the date the authorized stay expires. The forms are also used by business employers and other organizations to confirm legal status in the United States. The Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) applies to aliens traveling to the United States under the Visa Waiver Program (VWP) and requires that VWP travelers provide information electronically to CBP before embarking on travel to the United States.
CBP is planning to institute a $4.00 fee for use of ESTA plus the $10 fee for the Travel Promotion Fund and will announce this fee in an interim final rule to be published in the Federal Register in August 2010. The rule will go into effect in September 2010, therefore an emergency approval of this collection is required.
The $4.00 fee amount is based on actual and projected costs relating to designing, implementing, and administering the system and it will be collected as part of the online ESTA application process beginning in 2010, 60 days after the regulations are published. CBP has also calculated a small charge of $0.37 for transaction costs associated with currency conversions. This fee is charged by credit card companies to convert transactions to U.S. dollars and would be paid by the traveler. (This is a cost of the ESTA fee interim final rule, but it is not included in the regulatory text because it is not imposed by the United States government.)
On behalf of this Federal agency, I certify that the collection of information encompassed by this request complies with 5 CFR 1320.9 and the related provisions of 5 CFR 1320.8(b)(3).
The following is a summary of the topics, regarding the proposed collection of information, that the certification covers:
(i) Why the information is being collected;
(ii) Use of information;
(iii) Burden estimate;
(iv) Nature of response (voluntary, required for a benefit, or mandatory);
(v) Nature and extent of confidentiality; and
(vi) Need to display currently valid OMB control number;
If you are unable to certify compliance with any of these provisions, identify the item by leaving the box unchecked and explain the reason in the Supporting Statement.