ESTA Point of Contact: What to Enter If You Don’t Know Anyone in the USA
Last reviewed: 6 September 2026
The U.S. point of contact section is one of the most confusing parts of an ESTA application. Many travelers do not have friends, relatives or business contacts in the United States, while others have not yet booked their accommodation.
Quick answer: Your ESTA point of contact can normally be the hotel, accommodation, friend, family member, colleague or business organization connected with your first stay in the United States. If you genuinely do not know the information when applying, ESTA permits applicants to enter UNKNOWN in the relevant fields. Travelers who are only passing through the United States should indicate that their journey is In Transit.
The information must always be truthful. You should never invent a person, address or telephone number simply to complete the form.
What is the U.S. point of contact on an ESTA application?
The U.S. point of contact is a person, organization or accommodation connected with your planned visit. Depending on your circumstances, this could be:
- The first hotel where you will stay
- A vacation rental or other booked accommodation
- A friend or family member you will visit
- A colleague, customer or business partner
- A company or organization connected with your visit
- A tour operator or other relevant travel contact
The ESTA application may request the contact’s name, address and telephone number. This information gives U.S. Customs and Border Protection a reference connected with your planned stay.
Your point of contact does not sponsor your ESTA and does not become financially or legally responsible for your visit simply because you provide their details.
What should you enter as your ESTA point of contact?
The correct answer depends on the purpose of your journey and where you plan to stay. Use the most relevant and accurate information available when you complete the application.
| Your situation | What you can enter |
|---|---|
| Staying at a hotel | The name, address and telephone number of your first hotel |
| Staying in a vacation rental | The accommodation address and the relevant property or host details, if available |
| Visiting friends or relatives | The name, home address and telephone number of the person you will visit |
| Traveling for business | The company, colleague, customer or organization connected with the visit |
| No accommodation booked | Enter UNKNOWN where the information is genuinely unavailable and the form permits it |
| Only transiting through the USA | Select the transit option and enter In Transit in the address field when instructed |
Can your hotel be your ESTA point of contact?
Yes. A hotel is a normal and appropriate U.S. point of contact for a tourist who does not personally know anyone in the United States.
Use the details for the first hotel where you expect to stay. These can normally be found in your booking confirmation or on the hotel’s official website.
You may need to provide:
- The complete hotel name
- The street address
- The city
- The state
- The ZIP code
- The hotel’s telephone number
If your trip includes several hotels, you do not need to list every property in the point of contact section. The first hotel or accommodation connected with your initial stay is generally the most appropriate choice.
Should you use the booking platform or the actual hotel?
Use the actual hotel or accommodation rather than the online booking platform whenever the property details are available. For example, if the reservation was made through a travel website, enter the name and address of the hotel where you will physically stay.
What if you are staying in an Airbnb or vacation rental?
If you are staying in a vacation rental, use the address of the booked property and the relevant contact information provided with the reservation.
Depending on the information available, the point of contact name may be:
- The property name
- The host’s name
- The property management company
- The accommodation provider
Use only details supplied through your confirmed reservation. Do not guess a host’s telephone number or use an unrelated address.
If the exact address is withheld until shortly before arrival, provide the information that is genuinely available or enter UNKNOWN where the form permits it.
Can you write UNKNOWN as your ESTA point of contact?
Yes. U.S. Customs and Border Protection has stated that applicants may enter UNKNOWN for U.S. point of contact information if they genuinely do not have or know the requested details.
This may apply when:
- You have not booked a hotel yet
- You are planning a flexible road trip
- Your accommodation will be confirmed later
- You do not know anyone in the United States
- Your travel plans have not been finalized
- You are applying before purchasing flights or accommodation
Use UNKNOWN only when the information is genuinely unavailable. If you already have a confirmed hotel, host or business contact, it is better to provide those accurate details.
Does entering UNKNOWN cause an ESTA refusal?
Entering UNKNOWN in a field where the information is unavailable does not automatically result in an ESTA refusal. The official application framework permits unknown information in certain fields without preventing submission.
However, ESTA approval is based on the complete application and the traveler’s eligibility under the Visa Waiver Program. No individual answer can guarantee approval.
What should you enter in the telephone field?
If you have selected a hotel, host, company or other contact, use the genuine telephone number associated with that contact. Follow the number format shown in the application.
If no telephone number is available, follow the instructions displayed in the form. Do not enter a random U.S. number or use the details of a person who has no connection with your trip.
What should transit passengers enter?
You still need an ESTA if you are traveling under the Visa Waiver Program and passing through the United States on the way to another country. This applies even when you do not intend to leave the airport.
When completing the travel information section:
- Select Yes when asked whether your travel to the United States is occurring in transit to another country.
- Enter In Transit in the U.S. address field when instructed.
- Provide your onward travel information accurately if requested.
- Use UNKNOWN for a U.S. point of contact only where the information is not applicable or unavailable.
If you will stay overnight at a U.S. hotel before continuing your journey, you can use that hotel as your point of contact and first U.S. address.
Is the point of contact the same as your U.S. address?
Not necessarily. The ESTA application may ask separately for a U.S. point of contact and an address while in the United States.
- U.S. point of contact: A person, hotel, company or organization connected with your visit
- Address while in the United States: The physical location where you expect to stay
For many tourists, both sections will contain details for the same hotel. That is normal. For a business traveler, the point of contact may be a company while the U.S. address is a hotel.
Is the emergency contact the same thing?
No. The emergency point of contact is separate from the U.S. point of contact.
Your emergency contact can normally be someone you trust who should be contacted if something happens while you are traveling. This person does not necessarily need to live in the United States.
An emergency contact could be:
- Your spouse or partner
- A parent or adult child
- Another family member
- A close friend
- A trusted colleague
Do not automatically repeat your hotel details as the emergency contact unless the application specifically instructs you to do so.
What if your hotel changes after ESTA approval?
Travel plans can change after an ESTA has been approved. A different hotel does not normally mean that you need to submit a completely new ESTA application.
If the system allows you to update your U.S. address or travel information, retrieve your application and enter the new details. You can use the site’s ESTA status service if you need assistance locating and reviewing an existing authorization.
A new application is generally required for more significant changes, such as receiving a new passport, changing citizenship or changing an answer to an ESTA eligibility question. A routine change of hotel is different from changing passport or eligibility information.
Common point of contact mistakes
Before submitting the application, check for these common mistakes:
- Entering the booking website instead of the actual hotel
- Using your own home address as the U.S. contact address
- Providing a non-U.S. address for a U.S. point of contact
- Inventing a person or telephone number
- Using a hotel that has no connection with your planned trip
- Confusing the U.S. point of contact with the emergency contact
- Entering a previous hotel without checking whether the information is still relevant
- Selecting tourism when the journey is only a transit connection
- Making spelling mistakes in the city or street name
- Entering an incorrect ZIP code or state
Review the information carefully before payment. Some information can be updated later, but passport and important biographical errors may require a new application.
Example: tourist staying at a hotel
A traveler visiting New York for a holiday has booked a hotel for the first four nights. The hotel can be entered as follows:
- Contact name: The complete name of the hotel
- Address: The hotel’s street address
- City: New York
- State: New York
- Telephone: The hotel’s official telephone number
Use the real details from the booking confirmation. The example above describes the type of information required and should not be copied as if it were your own accommodation.
Example: visiting a family member
If you are staying with a relative in Florida, that person can be your U.S. point of contact:
- Enter the relative’s full name
- Use the address where you will stay
- Provide their current telephone number
- Check the spelling and ZIP code with them before submitting
You do not need to use a hotel when you will genuinely be staying with a friend or family member.
Example: no accommodation booked
A traveler may wish to obtain ESTA authorization before purchasing a non-refundable flight or hotel. If no U.S. contact or accommodation has been selected, the traveler can enter UNKNOWN where the form permits it.
Once accommodation is booked, the traveler can check whether the U.S. address information can be updated through the existing application.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need to know someone personally in the United States?
No. Your point of contact does not have to be a friend or relative. A hotel or other accommodation connected with your visit can be used.
Can I apply for ESTA before booking a hotel?
Yes. You do not need to wait until every part of the trip has been booked. If the contact information is genuinely unknown, enter UNKNOWN where permitted.
Can I use the first hotel on a multi-city trip?
Yes. The first hotel or accommodation is normally the most appropriate point of contact when you will stay in several locations.
Can my travel agent be the point of contact?
A U.S.-based tour operator or travel organization directly connected with your trip may be relevant. However, the actual hotel or host is usually more appropriate when those details are available.
Does the hotel need to confirm that I used it as my contact?
You do not normally need a special letter or authorization from the hotel. Use the genuine contact information provided with your reservation.
What if I cancel the hotel after my ESTA is approved?
A hotel change does not normally require a new ESTA. Update your U.S. address through the existing application if the relevant field is available, and carry details of your actual accommodation when traveling.
Can I leave the point of contact section blank?
Follow the instructions shown in the application. If a required field cannot be left blank and you genuinely do not know the information, use UNKNOWN where permitted rather than inventing an answer.
Do I need an ESTA point of contact when entering by land?
Visa Waiver Program travelers entering the United States by land also require an approved ESTA. Complete the travel and contact sections according to the purpose of the visit and the information available.
Check your information before submitting
Your ESTA point of contact should accurately reflect what you know when completing the application. Use your first hotel, accommodation, host, family member or business contact when those details are available.
If you genuinely have no U.S. contact or confirmed accommodation, entering UNKNOWN is permitted in the applicable fields. Transit passengers should identify their journey as In Transit rather than entering invented accommodation details.
Most importantly, make sure all information is truthful and review the complete application before submitting it.
Independent service notice: esta-cbp-gov.com is a private ESTA application-assistance service and is not affiliated with the United States government. Travelers may also apply directly through the official U.S. Customs and Border Protection ESTA website. Service fees charged by esta-cbp-gov.com are for private application assistance and are separate from the U.S. government application fee.