Long-gone are the days true visa-free travel existed. You know, when you could just grab your passport and head to the airport without filling out forms, or submitting paperwork in advance.
As you might have noticed in recent years, Electronic Travel Authorizations, or ETAs, are becoming an increasingly common alternative to traditional visa-waivers: instead of allowing visa-exempt travelers to travel without pre-authorization, a number of countries is now screening them in advance.
Though they’re not branded as such, and God forbid you call them that, ETAs are essentially e-Visas, or digital entry permits. In other words, unless you hold one, you can’t even board your flight, let alone enter your destination.
Contrary to customary visas, however, they’re far easier to apply:
How Do ETAs Work?
The process typically involves completing a questionnaire, submitting your personal information, and notifying the authorities of your travel plans. In most cases, a fee, which can either be small or hefty, is also levied at the end.
Unless the country’s system flags you as ineligible, or there’s something wrong with your application, an ETA is typically issued within minutes, or hours, or days of applying, to the email you added. They are typically valid for several years and permit multiple trips without requiring reapplication.
That being said, ETAs are not exactly standardized across the market, and rules can vary wildly depending on the country. That’s one of the main reasons we’ve launched our new TOP Entry Requirement Checker, which allows you to verify visa rules before flying abroad.
Based on data provided by Travel Off Path’s new tool, the TOP Entry Requirement Checker, these are 7 countries currently imposing ETAs on U.S. passport holders:
Australia
One of the first countries to ever introduce a digital entry permit, all the way back in 1996 (we kid you not), Australia expects Americans to apply for the Australian ETA (formally known as the visa subclass 601) before boarding their flight.
Filling out the form takes around 10–15 minutes via the official ETA app, and unless something’s up with your data, processing is either instant or it may take under 12 hours. The fee is AUD $20, or USD $13, and as for the validity, the Australian ETA lasts 12 months, or until your passport expires.
It allows for stays of up to 3 months per visit, but once the 12-month period elapses, you will need to apply for a new ETA.
Israel
Brushing the controversies aside, Israel is one of the most recent countries to roll out an ETA, as a means to both smooth out the flow of foreign arrivals and enhance security at its borders. It was introduced on January 1, 2025, and the questionnaire takes 15 minutes max to complete.
It involves questions relating to your personal life, the purpose of your visit, and it involves signing a declaration of non-involvement in any criminal activity.
The fee is 25 New Shekels, or the equivalent to USD $7, and the deadline for processing applications is 72 hours, though most will receive confirmation in under 24. The Israeli ETA is valid for 2 years, and it allows multiple entries for up to 90 days each.
Kenya
Up next, we have Kenya, one of the top safari destinations in Africa. Famous for its incredible wildlife and beautiful parks, it is sure to feature on the bucket list of every adventurous country-hopper.
If you’re an American, though, you need a Kenyan ETA to be able to fly there as of January 5, 2024. The average time to complete the application is 20 minutes, and you should fill out the information carefully, or you risk getting refused.
Usually, they will ask for your passport info, travel itinerary, including entry and exit points, proof of accommodation, and personal details, such as occupation and contact. Additionally, signing a health declaration is required.
After you pay the USD $30 fee, Kenyan ETAs are processed in under 72 hours, and they’re valid for up to 90 days of issuing. Once arriving in Kenya, you can stay for 90 full days.
New Zealand
New Zealand has been imposing an ETA requirement on Americans since October 2019.
You must access the website for the New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (shortened to NZeTA), and create an account before starting the application itself. During the application, you’ll answer a series of questions, ranging from passport & travel info, to criminal convictions & deportation history.
It will take 15 minutes on average to send it through, so it’s fairly quick and easy. On the downside, the fee is quite significant: besides the ETA itself, which costs NZD $17 (or around USD $10), applicants must simultaneously pay an International Visitor Levy of NZD $100 (USD $60).
In total, it will cost you $70 just to be able to board your flight to New Zealand. At least they’re more generous than their Australian counterparts, as the permit is valid for 2 years from the date of issue, and it allows for visits of up to 3 months as a U.S. passport holder.
Saint Kitts and Nevis
The first Caribbean nation to introduce an ETA, Saint Kitts and Nevis updated its border regulations on May 26, and now requires all American tourists, as well as any other foreign visitors, to apply for permission before flying.
The process is similar to every other ETA listed so far, involving answering personal questions, informing authorities of the purpose of your visit, and uploading a picture of your passport info.
A couple of things that set the Saint Kitts and Nevis ETA apart from the rest is that you’re also required to disclose your travel dates—entry and departure—and give your accommodation details.
The average time to complete is 5–10 minutes, and the permit is valid for a single entry, authorizing you to stay in the island-nation for 90 days. As for the fee, it’s only USD $8.50 until August 31, 2025, and from that date onward, it will double to USD $17.
Philippines
The Philippines fully rolled out its eTravel System on April 15, 2023, replacing the old paper arrival and departure cards with a unified, online travel declaration platform.
Now, all inbound travelers, including U.S. passport holders, must register at the official eTravel website within 72 hours before their scheduled flight — there’s no mobile app to download, just a mobile-responsive web form here. Registration is completely free of charge, so watch out for scam sites that try to charge a fee.
You’ll fill in your personal and travel details, complete a health declaration (the “eHDC”), and upload your passport information. Once your submission is reviewed by the Bureau of Quarantine, you’ll receive a QR code.
Be sure to download or screenshot this QR code — you must present it to your airline before boarding and again upon arrival. Because personal data is purged after each trip, you’ll need to register again for every visit, but the streamlined, paperless system ensures you can still enjoy hassle-free entry without a traditional visa.
United Kingdom
While the European Union still goes back and forth with launching the ETIAS, a variant of the internationalized ETA acronym, the United Kingdom went ahead earlier this year and put forth the UK ETA.
The best way to apply is through the official web (just look for ‘UK ETA’ on App Store or Google Play), and setting up an account. Once the account is set up, the app will instruct you to scan your passport information, as well as your face, to verify it’s a match.
The following step involves giving your contact information, and do ensure you add the correct email address, as this is where the UK ETA will be issued to. Then, answer a short list of questions relating to travel, criminal, and immigration-related history.
Sounds like a lengthy questionnaire, but in reality, it is possible to complete an application in under 10 minutes. If you need help, we’ve put together this guide back when it launched.
Usually approvals will be handed out within minutes, but in some cases, it may take up to 3 working days, and the current fee is £16, or roughly USD $22.
Once you have a UK ETA approved, it remains valid for 2 years, and you can enter the United Kingdom as many times as you wish, for up to 6 months per stay.
The Travel Off Path Advantage: Your Travel Toolkit
Subscribe To Our Latest Posts
Enter your email address to subscribe to Travel Off Path’s latest breaking travel news, straight to your inbox.