Hacker News Reader

What does a ban from ESTA actually mean?

I know that one can be ineligible for an ESTA. For example, if you've made a trip to Iran. However even if ineligible for an ESTA, a person can still go to a US embassy and apply for a regular visa, just like folks in non-ESTA countries.

View on HN

It means, at the very minimum, a massive pain in the ass. Quite likely you will have significant difficulty gaining a visa.

OK. Seems the salient point is that once you've been denied entry once, returning in future becomes more challenging.

That'll be the case regardless of whether you've been eligible for ESTAs or had to obtain visas via embassies in the past.

The "banned from ESTA" phrasing had me scratching my head.

Reply on news.ycombinator.com