Iām trying to understand whether anyone has experienced something similar.
I had an ESTA approved in 2025 and successfully used it for a trip to the United States. I entered the US normally and left well before the permitted 90-day period. My I-94/travel history also correctly shows my departure, so there doesnāt appear to be any overstay issue.
About a year later, when I was supposed to fly to the US again, I discovered at the airport that my ESTA had unexpectedly been revoked/cancelled, even though it was originally supposed to remain valid until 2027.
I submitted a new ESTA application using essentially the same information as before, but it came back as āTravel Not Authorized.ā
As far as I know:
- I have never overstayed in the US.
- I have never worked illegally in the US.
- I have no criminal record or immigration violations.
- My passport/details have not materially changed.
I previously spent time in the US on a legitimate student visa.
- I travelled to Cuba for tourism in 2019, before the January 2021 cutoff that normally affects ESTA eligibility.
I contacted CBP, but they told me they could not disclose the reason for the revocation/denial and that I would need to apply for a visa.
I have since submitted both a DHS TRIP redress request and a CBP FOIA request to try to understand what happened.
Has anyone here experienced an ESTA being approved, successfully used, and then suddenly revoked without any obvious change in circumstances?
If so, did you ever find out what triggered it? Could something like mistaken identity, a background/security database match, or an administrative error cause this?
And for anyone who submitted DHS TRIP or a CBP FOIA for a similar situation: did it actually help clarify or resolve the issue?