ESTA Pending or Denied — What Israelis Can Do
Last updated: · Prepared by the visaforisraelis.com team
Authorization Pending is a common status: CBP recommend waiting up to 72 hours and checking esta.cbp.dhs.gov — not opening a second application. Travel Not Authorized is an ESTA refusal; reapplying with different answers can make it worse. In that case you usually need a B1/B2 visa at the embassy, not ESTA. We file ESTA in Hebrew for people who are eligible; we do not handle embassy visas and cannot overturn a CBP refusal.
Official source: esta.cbp.dhs.gov — official status check
Pending — what to do in the 72 hours
Most approvals return in minutes, but a manual review leaves the application Pending. Check status on the CBP portal with the passport number and date of birth. Do not change answers and do not pay again.
If the flight is in less than 72 hours and it is still Pending — do not count on last-minute approval. Check with the airline, and have a fallback plan.
Why Israelis get stuck on the questionnaire
Travel since March 2011 to VWP-listed countries (for example Iran, Iraq, Syria), another nationality, a criminal record, or a prior US entry denial — these remove Visa Waiver eligibility more often than a misspelled name.
If you have not filed yet, it is worth checking eligibility in Hebrew before paying $40.27 on an application that needed a visa from the start.
What we file and what we do not
A new ESTA for people who are eligible, with the questionnaire in Hebrew and a human check. Not: an appeal of Denied, not a B1/B2 visa, not changing answers after they went to CBP.
FAQ
Can I file a second ESTA after Denied?
Usually no. The refusal stays on file. The path is a visa, not another ESTA.
Still Pending after a week — what then?
Check again on the official portal. If the status has not moved, contact CBP through the channels on the ESTA site — not through an intermediary site.
Can you reverse a refusal?
No. Only CBP decide. We only file new applications for people who are eligible.
Related pages
Entry rules change frequently and the final decision always rests with border authorities. Always verify with an official source close to your travel date.