Beginning September 8, 2010, international travelers to the United States from Visa Waiver Program (VWP) nations will be required to pay a $14 Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) fee. The fee, a result of the Travel Promotion Act of 2009 (pdf), will be matched by private sector contributions, and will fund the Corporation for Travel Promotion, a newly created independent non-profit corporation that will develop advertising campaigns to encourage tourism to the United States.

ESTA, operated by U.S. Customs & Border Protection (a Department of Homeland Security agency), is an automated system used to determine the eligibility of visitors to travel to the United States under the VWP and whether such travel poses any law enforcement or security risk.