What is an ETA? The traveller's guide to Electronic Travel Authorisations
Not quite a visa, not quite nothing. Here's what an ETA actually is, why every country suddenly wants one, and how to apply without getting scammed by a £80 middleman site.
In the last few years, the phrase "electronic travel authorisation" has quietly muscled its way into the pre-flight checklist. It is not quite a visa. It is not quite nothing. And it now applies to an increasingly long list of countries UK and US passport holders used to just… turn up to.
What is an ETA, in one paragraph
An Electronic Travel Authorisation is a pre-screening system that visa-exempt countries use to check who is coming before they get on the plane. You fill in an online form, pay a small fee, and the destination country runs your passport against their security and immigration databases. If nothing weird flags up, you get an approval linked electronically to your passport. No sticker, no stamp — just a record in the system that the airline checks at check-in.
It exists because "visa-free" used to mean "we'll check you at the border." Governments would rather know now than at the arrivals hall.
ETA vs visa: the actual difference
The words get used interchangeably, especially by copycat third-party sites keen to make things sound scarier than they are. Here is the honest version.
- Visa: A formal permission to enter a country, usually requiring supporting documents, sometimes an in-person appointment, a proper fee, and days-to-months of processing. Attached to your passport as a sticker or a full digital record.
- ETA: A pre-travel screening for people who are already eligible to visit visa-free. No documents beyond your passport, no interview, approval usually within minutes to a couple of days. Cheap. Automated.
- eVisa: Confusingly named — this is a real visa, just issued through a website instead of an embassy. Longer form, higher fee, longer processing, but you skip the courier and the queue.
Rule of thumb: if the form takes ten minutes and costs less than £30, it is an ETA. If it asks for bank statements, it is a visa.
Every ETA a UK or US traveller might need
As of 2026, six major destinations run an ETA-style scheme. All of them apply to both UK and US passport holders (with local variations on cost and validity).
USA — ESTA
The original. For UK and most European travellers going to the US for tourism or short business trips. Costs $21, valid for two years, apply via esta.cbp.dhs.gov. See our full ESTA guide for UK citizens.
Canada — eTA
For UK and most European travellers flying to Canada (not required for US citizens or land arrivals). Costs CAD $7, valid five years, apply via canada.ca. Usually approved in minutes.
Australia — ETA (subclass 601)
For UK, US and select passport holders. Costs AUD $20, valid 12 months, apply via the official Australian ETA mobile app (there is no web form, which is a design choice we can only assume was made for personal reasons). Allows visits up to 90 days at a time.
New Zealand — NZeTA
For UK, US and most Western passport holders. Costs NZD $17 via the app or NZD $23 via the website, valid two years. There is also a separate NZD $100 International Visitor Levy bundled in. Apply at immigration.govt.nz.
United Kingdom — ETA
For visitors coming to the UK — including US, Canadian, Australian and most Gulf passport holders. Costs £16, valid two years, apply via the "UK ETA" app or on gov.uk. UK and Irish citizens do not need one for their own country.
European Union — ETIAS (from late 2026)
The EU's new pre-travel authorisation for the 30 Schengen-area countries. Applies to UK, US, Canadian, Australian and most visa-exempt travellers. Costs €20, valid three years. Launching late 2026 — see our UK ETIAS guide or the US ETIAS guide.
How to apply for any ETA without getting scammed
Every legitimate ETA is applied for on a government website ending in .gov, .gov.uk, .canada.ca, .govt.nz, or europa.eu. Everything else is a commercial site charging you £60–£120 to fill in the same form on your behalf. They are technically legal. They are also technically unnecessary.
What an ETA does not do
An approved ETA is permission to travel, not permission to enter. The final call is always made by the border officer when you land. You still need to show a return or onward ticket, enough funds for your stay, and a passport with the right validity remaining. See our guide on passport validity rules if you're travelling on a passport that's getting close to expiry.
The Panic Index verdict
Applying for an ETA is a Panic Index 2 out of 5 — mildly annoying, not actually stressful. Do it from your sofa the week before you fly, on the official site, with your passport and card handy. Ten minutes. One coffee. Done.
Where the panic does creep in is stacking. A US traveller doing a European tour in late 2026 might need an ETIAS, a UK ETA, and — depending on the itinerary — a Canada eTA on the way home. Individually trivial. Collectively, easy to forget one. Use our country checker before you book and it'll tell you which forms your trip actually needs.