ESTA's approved - do I need to print anything?

[Tink78]

Woo hoo.
Our ESTA's are approved, but I don't have any physical paperwork etc.
Should I be printing something off to take with our passports or do they just check online when we arrive in the US?
I'm worried as they are all done and paid for but I don't have anything to show anyone to prove this.

 

[pascalstongue]

You don't need to print anything out but print the confirmation off for your own peace of mind. It is highly unlikely you would need it though.

 

[Disbabe]

Wasn't asked for them yesterday at Chicago O'Hare - immigration was a breeze. I did have them printed off in case of a problem, but there wasn't one

 

[chmurf]

print them off just in case, but you have no legal obligation to do so.
you won't be required to produce any document, it's all in the US immigration system now that it's been approved.

 

[flortlebap]

I didn't need them yesterday, we printed them just in case though.

Managed to exit as one of the first people off the plane, immigration was a breeze, our bags were amongst the first off the plane and a very short wait for ME... We were unpacking in our hotel room by 4:30 (flight was early too, due in 3:20). Just a heads up because we planned for the process to take waaay longer and had to force ourselves to stay awake for our 8pm dinner reservation lol.

 

[Tink78]

Wow that's cool then.
So do we just need our passports and tickets then?

 

[maggs]

I take the print offs just in case. I have always had them at hand but never been asked for them. The reason I do carry them though is that several people reported being asked for them (on a Thomson flight I think) so I don't take any risks.

Mags

 

[wilma-bride]

I don't print ours off but do make a note of the numbers Have never been asked though.

 

[eeyoreangel1]

When we changed our booking, the girl on the phone was telling us how sometimes staff at Gatwick ask to see them, now i'm unsure whether she meant Virgin or someone else

We've always taken ours just incase

 

[wayneg]

As above you don't need to but I would highly recommend you do. I have seen a few posts saying they have been asked to show them at checkin, I really don't understand why but can only post what I have read.

The main reason I say to print is because the system is not perfect, one of our trips last year we got to the immigration desk, handed over our passports and were told we had not done ESTA's, thankfully I had printed them off, he said " you have just saved yourselves a lot of time and hassle as the system couldn't find them"

I guess having the ESTA numbers will do just as well but I prefer to print them off.

 

[ford family]

If you plan on crossing by ship, as we have done a few times, the cruise company always demands to see them.
If you do not have a copy they require you to go online at the cruise terminal and print one out.
I think it is because they do not have access to the same systems as the airlines.

ford family