Before you buy
ESTA, eTA, ETA and the rest: what electronic entry permits are
They aren't visas and they can't be ignored either. What each one is, where to actually apply, and how not to overpay for it.
Tomás Berruezo 6 min Photo by Jean-Baptiste D. on Unsplash More and more countries require an electronic authorisation before you board, even when they don't require a visa. You apply online, they cost little and they don't take long, and without one an airline can refuse to let you on the plane.
What follows is what's worth understanding about the category as a whole. The specifics of your case, and this matters, come from the official source: they depend on your nationality, on the purpose of your trip and on the date, and they change.
What they are and what they aren't
An electronic authorisation isn't a visa: it's an advance permit tied to your passport, approved in a short time in most cases. It doesn't guarantee entry either: the last word belongs to the country's border control.
| What it's called | Where it applies |
|---|---|
| ESTA | United States |
| eTA | Canada |
| ETA | United Kingdom |
| ETA and variants | Australia and New Zealand |
| e-Visa | India, Vietnam, Egypt and others, under their own names |
| ETIAS | The Schengen area, for travellers from outside the EU |
Pay attention to that last one, because it's the one most likely to apply to you: ETIAS is for visa-exempt travellers from outside the European Union entering Schengen, so a British, American, Canadian or Australian passport holder heading to Europe is exactly who it's aimed at. An EU passport holder travelling within Europe doesn't need it.
The expensive trap: middleman websites
Searching the name of a permit turns up plenty of pages that will apply on your behalf and charge several times what the official process costs. They're legal and they add nothing.
- Always start from the country government's own website, never from an advert.
- Be wary of any page promising guaranteed approval.
- Check the official price before you pay.
- If a middleman has already charged you, the permit is usually valid anyway, but you've overpaid.
When to apply
As soon as you have your flights. Many approvals are quick, and the ones that get complicated can take days, so leaving it to the night before is a risk taken for no reason.
And check two things about your passport: that it's still valid, and that it has the minimum validity your destination requires, which in many countries is several months beyond your return date.
All of that lives on your phone
The permit, the booking, the insurance and sometimes a scan of your passport all end up in the same place: your phone. Save them to your email or the cloud as well, and download them before you fly, because border control at a foreign airport doesn't always have usable connectivity.
Frequently asked questions
What is an electronic entry permit?
An advance authorisation tied to your passport, applied for online. It isn't a visa and it doesn't guarantee entry, which border control decides.
Do I need ETIAS to travel to Europe?
If you hold a passport from outside the European Union and you're visa-exempt, ETIAS is the one aimed at you. EU passport holders travelling within Europe don't need it.
Where do I apply?
Always on the country government's official website. Middleman pages charge several times the official price and add nothing.
How far in advance?
As soon as you have your flights. Many approvals are quick, but the ones that get complicated can take days.
Where do I check what I specifically need?
On the official source for your destination and in your own government's travel advice, because it depends on your nationality and on the date.
