How to go to the USA:

Legal process!

To travel to the United States from France, a few formalities are necessary. In this report, we will explain the steps that a person of French nationality must take to make a trip to the United States.

The first thing to know is that the duration of a stay in the territory of the United States is limited in time to a maximum of 90 days. (i.e. about 3 months to a few days). The person must have a valid passport that covers the duration of their stay plus 1 month after their stay in the USA.

There are two possible cases for passports:

If you have an older generation passport (i.e. a passport that is not machine-readable and digitally read, called "biometric"), you must apply for a visa (the visa may vary depending on your type of stay, we advise you to be aware of the different types of visas.) At one of the American representations closest to your home.
If you have a next-generation passport (i.e. a "Biometric" optical and digital reading passport) you must apply for an E.S.T.A. (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) on the one and only official website of the United States government at the following internet address: OFFICIAL WEBSITE CUSTOMS AND BORDER PROTECTION on document will cost you around US$21.00. On the website of the U.S. Government of the E. S.T.A., you will be asked for several pieces of information such as your passport number.

⚠ We know that, as with the "Green Card" project, for-profit companies offer people the opportunity to do the paperwork for them and those for a fee. Please note that only the official website of the US administration is authorized for administrative procedures.

also know that the use of an E.S.T.A does not give the right to work. And that the fraudulent use of an E.S.T.A. leads to strong penalties with a ban on re-entering the territory of the United States for a long time.
Depending on the case (or if you do not have a "Biometric" passport) you must obtain a visa from the US administration on this list:

U.S. Visa Fee Schedule (MRV):

160 USD:

(B)Visitors: Business, Tourism, Medical care
(C) U.S. Transit
(D) Crew members
(F) University students
(M) Non-university or professional students
(I) Media or journalists
(J) Exchange Visitor
(TD/TN) NAFTA Professional
(T) Victims of Human Trafficking
(U) Victim of criminal activity

190 USD:

(H) Temporary worker or intern
(O) Persons of extraordinary capacity
(P) Athletes, Artists and Performers
(Q) International Cultural Exchange Visitor
(R) Religious worker
(L) Occupational transfer

205 USD:

(E1) Treaty Trader (partner country worker)
(E2) Treaty Investor (Partner Country Investor)
(E3) Australian Specialty Worker

265 USD:

(K) Fiancé or spouse of a U.S. citizen

⚠ Attention: Letters (visa categories) all have subcategories; We advise you to go to the official website of the United States representation to find out which category suits you best. Please note that if you do not use the visa corresponding to your situation, this is considered a serious fraud and the penalty is immediate:

Prohibition of re-entry into the United States for a period of 3 to 5 years.
Direct return to your country at your own expense.

For many visas, you will need to prepare a Form DS-160. For several months now, the U.S. Department of State has been implementing a paperless form. You can make the request via the OFFICIAL website at the following internet address:

OFFICIAL WEBSITE TO APPLY FOR A NON-IMMIGRANT VISA

For forms, we naturally recommend the following internet address:

OFFICIAL SITE U.S. EMBASSY IN FRANCE

This is the one and only legal address in France.

Here is a video made by US Customs and Border Protection to explain the application for the ESTA application.

It should also be noted that only the immigration services and the border guard (customs) are the one and only final decision-makers on whether or not you enter the United States. We hope we have been able to inform you about the steps to take for a trip to the UNITED STATES.