The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), USA set September 8, 2010 as the effective date for a new USD 10 fee on foreign visitors. The date to implement the new fee, which will help fund the new tourism promotion program created by the Travel Promotion Act, was announced on August 6, 2010. The fee will be assessed on visitors from countries in the Visa Waiver Program. Visitors are required to register online before travel under the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA). Customs and Border Protection, the DHS unit that is overseeing the process, also established a USD 4 cost-recovery fee for the ESTA program, meaning the total amount payable by visitors will be USD 14.

Currently, travelers from Visa Waiver countries are required to log on to a secure U.S. government ESTA website, enter their passport information and expected itinerary, and wait for an electronic authorisation, which is good for multiple entries for two years. Until now it has been free, but the Travel Promotion Act made the USD 10 fee mandatory. The ESTA sites, which operate in several languages, will accept only credit and debit cards issued by Visa, MasterCard, American Express and Discover, DHS said.

The new tourism promotion entity, the Corporation for Travel Promotion, will be funded in equal part by the revenue from the fee and by funds, goods and services contributed by the industry. As a procedural matter, the fee and effective date are being published in the Federal register as an "interim final rule" subject to public comments, which can be filed through October 8, 2010. Comments can be filed online at www.regulations.gov, referencing docket number USCBP-2010-0025.