Check ESTA and visa application status via official or third-party APIs

Steps

1. For ESTA status checks, use the CBP ESTA API (available to authorized travel service providers) or direct users to the official CBP ESTA portal; submit the application or status-check request with the traveler's passport number, nationality, and date of birth.
2. Parse the ESTA response status field: 'Authorization Approved', 'Authorization Pending', or 'Travel Not Authorized'; map these to traveler-facing plain language descriptions.
3. For general visa checks, integrate with a visa requirements database API (e.g., Sherpa°, iVisa partner API) using origin passport country and destination country to retrieve current visa requirements and processing times.
4. Surface the visa requirement type (visa-on-arrival, e-visa, embassy visa, visa-free) and estimated processing time relative to the departure date; flag if departure is within a risky window.
5. Monitor ESTA records that are approaching 2-year expiry or the 90-day stay limit; send proactive alerts to travelers who need to renew before their trip.
6. Store all visa status responses with a timestamp and refresh them periodically since requirements change; never serve cached data older than 24 hours for pre-trip checks.