Find out how the visa waiver program works, how to proceed and where you can request exemption.
We warn you that without this authorization (or a visa), you will not be allowed to enter the country.
Due to the change in the travel requirements to enter the United States, ESTA’s, under the United Stated VISA Waive program, may have been cancelled by the CDC. Please check that the status of your ESTA is still valid or if you will have to Create a New Application to travel. Confirm or request ESTA here and see full entry requirements here.
Commitment to the customer
Learn everything about your flight.
Consult the Contingency Plan and the Customer Service Plan.
Learn about our customer loyalty programs- the TAP Miles&Go Program and the loyalty program for companies, tap|corporate.
Verify the service charges and consult the list of charges for the following:
In addition to these charges, you will also find our partners: United Airlines, Air Canada and SATA.
As for our fleet, you can learn more about it here.
More information
If you need to contact us, you have the following options:
Telephone: 800 221 73 70
E-mail: talktoususa@tap.pt
If you wish to contact the DOT directly, please use the following addresses:
Aviation Consumer Protection Division C-75,
U.S. Department of Transportation
1200 New Jersey Ave., S.E.
Washington, D.C. 20590
Website: www.transportation.gov/airconsumer
Consult the transport conditions.
Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)
If you have a passport from one of these countries that was issued after 2001, you must use the Electronic System for Travel Authorization to apply for an electronic authorization whenever you travel to the United States of America.
To obtain the authorization, just go the website and complete the form. This process must be carried out at least three days prior to traveling. However, to prevent any possible setbacks, you can request this authorization before you make your flight reservation.
Since 20 March 2010, airlines that allow passengers to travel to the USA without authorization have also been penalized.
TAP reserves the right, as of that date, to refuse to allow passengers to board unless they have completed the necessary formalities.
Procedure
- Enter the site of the electronic travel Authorization System and fill in the basic form of identification.
- You must show it on request when leaving Portugal and at US border control.
- If the system replies “Travel not authorized”, you will have to apply for a non-immigrant visa at the nearest US consulate or the US Embassy in Lisbon.
- If the system replies "Pending authorization" you must return to the website 72 hours later to get the final answer.
- These authorizations are valid for 2 years from the date they are obtained and for multiple entries into the USA. If your passport expires, you must request a new authorization.
More information at:
United States Embassy in Portugal-visas for the U.S.
Government of the U.S. visa waiver program
Visa waiver program
| Andorra | Japan |
| Australia | Latvia |
| Austria | Liechtenstein |
| Belgium | Lithuania |
| Brunei | Luxembourg |
| Chile | Malta |
| Czech Republic | Monaco |
| Denmark | New Zealand |
| Estonia | Norway |
| Finland | Portugal |
| France | Republic of Korea |
| Germany | San Marino |
| Greece | Singapore |
| Holland | Slovakia |
| Hungary | Spain |
| Iceland | Sweden |
| Ireland | Switzerland |
| Italy | United Kingdom* |
*British citizens only without permanent residence restrictions in England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Channel Islands and Isle of Man.
For more information on Visa Exemption visit the U.S. Customs and Border Protection website.
Required information
- Full name
- Gender
- Date of birth
- Number and expiry date of passport or ID document
- Redress number, if available
The first 3 items are absolutely compulsory.
Airlines are required to send this information to the United States authorities up to seventy-two (72) hours prior to departure of the flight or they may have to cancel reservations, even if the tickets have been issued.
TAP thanks all its passengers for their understanding and help in meeting these requirements on a timely basis and ensuring the quality of our service.
Access to passenger information
Questions regarding access to passenger data
TAP complies with this legal requirement.
The data provided
- passenger name
- phone number or other contact information
- details of the travel itinerary (date, origin, destination, seat number, baggage)
- records and information provided during the reservation process
- racial or ethnic identification
- religious or political choices
- health information
Who has access to your reservation details and for what purpose?
Reservation data
Passenger rights
- Passengers may request a copy of their reservation records from the Customs and Border Protection’s database.
- However, if there are indications that this may interfere with enforcement of the law or reveal legal investigative techniques and procedures, access to the records will not be possible.
- Refusal by the Customs and Border Protection to disclose reservations records is subject to legal action.
- Passengers may ask for their data held on file by the US Customs and Border Protection to be amended if the agency believes such correction to be appropriate and justified.
Access to reservation records
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) Request
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229
An alternative address is:
- Disclosure Law Officer, U.S. Customs and Border Protection Headquarters, Washington, D.C.
For further information about procedures for making this request, please see Title 19, Section 103.5 of the United States Code of Federal Regulations.
- U.S. CBP Assistant Commissioner, Office of Field Operations
- U.S. Customs and Border Protection
- 1300 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20229
The decisions made by US Customs and Border Protection are reviewed by the head of the Privacy Division of the Department of Homeland Security in Washington, DC 20528.
