The visa American law is evolutionary and requires the consultation of various official Internet sites. A no exhaustive list is given below. The ESTA does not guarantee obtaining a visa at the border, the US immigration officer has all to be able for its attribution. I had obtained instantaneously by Internet a ESTA at the time of my stay at Brisbane for two years up to October 28, 2012 with multiple entries at $14.

Internet Access:

http://www.usvisa-info.com/en/selfservice/
https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/
http://www.cbp.gov/
http://www.getyouhome.gov/html/eng_map.html

Glossary

VWP:   Visa Waiver Program
ESTA:  Electronic System for Travel Authorization
DHS:    Department of Homeland Security
CBP:    Customs and Border Protection
WHTI:   Western Hemisphere Travel Initiative
EPA:    Environment Protection Agency
DOT:    Department of Transportation

I left Vancouver on February 03 around 9:30 to go to the border between Canada and the USA where I arrived around 11 a.m. to make a queue during forty minutes. At the kiosk I made an enormous blunder believing to be at the border kiosk of Canada, I asked to make the carnet –CPD– stamped, a misunderstanding followed from there with difficulties of comprehension. Without separating themselves of their distant arrogance the American customs officers made me all the doors of my truck opened and one of them involved me in an office where I had a discussion with other people for finally succeeding that I should to go back to Canada to make the CPD stamped. But before the officer led me in another building to proceed to my identification, fingerprints of the two hands and a photograph, and to answer various questions for obtaining a 90-day  visa at the cost of $6. Then after another discussion with his colleagues I explained me that I could leave my truck at the US station –doors opened– and return on foot to Canada for the CPD. The procedure lasted two short hours. The carnet of passage en douane is always a test full with surprises. With experiment I noticed that coming from Canada there is no Canadian kiosk and symmetrically coming from the USA there is no American kiosk. Consequently there is no exit stamp of Canada on my passport, curious! When I will go back to Canada I will be necessary that I would be attentive to make the departure part of the I-94 form of US immigration detached from my passport . Mow I left the border with the visa to stop a few miles further away to take a well deserved collation and to evacuate the stress. Taking again the road I decided to do shopping at Walmart in Bellingham where I spent overnight on the carpark.

The way from Seattle to the border proceeded without difficulty on I5. Entering Canada there is no US checkpoint, but the Canadian customs officers carry out work for their American colleagues. On the other hand the carnet de passage en douane always takes a problem of comprehension knowing that the Canadian customs officer did not understand that his US colleague had not filled it at the entry the USA. Mow after reflection he fills it without inspecting my vehicle. Waiting lasted less than one half an hour.

With my great astonishment the crossing of the border between New Brunswick, Canada, and Maine, in the USA, at a twin town St Stephen & Calais lasted less than fifteen minutes. It is necessary to go to the border post located on Hwy # 1 and not to that of the town of St Stephen reserved for small cars. A stamp on the Carnet de Passage en Douane took five minutes at the custom post of Canada then fifty meters further away at the custom post of the USA the catch fingerprints of my two hands, a picture of my portrait and the inevitable questions, who am I? where do I come from? where do I go? etc and the stamp on my passport were dispatched promptly for $6, without visit of my truck! I received a three-month visa till February 2, 2012.