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Visas, eVisas and entry permits: what to check before you travel

Do I need a visa or authorisation to enter, and where do I apply safely?

Applies to: European Union · United Kingdom · National law variesRules last checked:

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In short

A visa, an eVisa and an electronic travel authorisation are three different things, and the answer depends on your nationality and your destination. Always start from the destination government’s own page: this guide explains the vocabulary and gives the official pages we could read, it does not decide your case.

In Europe two systems are easy to confuse: the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES) is operating — it registers non-EU short-stay visitors at the border — while ETIAS, the EU’s travel authorisation, was described on the Commission’s page (the latest version we could read, dated October 2025) as not in operation and not accepting applications — check its current status. The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is separate.

Visa, eVisa, authorisation — what is the difference

  • Visa: permission issued in advance by the destination’s authorities, often through an embassy, consulate or an official visa centre.
  • eVisa: a visa applied for and issued electronically, on the destination’s official portal.
  • Electronic travel authorisation (such as the UK ETA): a lighter, online pre-clearance for visitors who do not need a visa; it is not a visa.

Schengen: 90 days in any 180

The Schengen area is made up of 29 countries: 25 EU Member States and four non-EU countries (Iceland, Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein). Bulgaria and Romania were the last to join, on 1 January 2025; Ireland has an opt-out and keeps its own visa and border policy. Among the countries in our catalogue, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Ukraine and Moldova are therefore outside the Schengen area.

Non-EU nationals who do not need a visa can stay in the Schengen area for up to 90 days in any 180-day period: count back 180 days from any day of your stay, and your total stay in that window must not exceed 90 days. Whether you need a visa at all is set by EU rules and your nationality; the Commission’s visa policy page links the list.

EES and ETIAS: what is operating

The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on 10 April 2026. It applies to non-EU nationals on short stays in the Schengen countries, replaces passport stamping with digital records, and registers a facial image, fingerprints and the data from the travel document.

ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, was described on the Commission’s ETIAS page — the latest version we could read, dated 6 October 2025 — as not in operation and not collecting applications, with the start date to be announced several months in advance. We do not state a start date or a fee, and the status may have changed since that page: check the official ETIAS pages before you plan around it.

United Kingdom: the ETA

GOV.UK says you usually need an ETA rather than a visa for short visits if you are from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries; each traveller, including children, needs their own, and British and Irish passport holders are exempt. Check the fee, validity and rules on the GOV.UK pages: they change.

Use the official portal — and how to spot it

Unofficial websites sell ‘visa services’ for a fee, sometimes imitating government sites. Official sources warn about this: GOV.UK says other websites may charge more and to avoid websites that imitate government services, and India’s e-Visa portal says the government does not charge emergency fees and that no intermediary is required.

Start from a link on the destination government’s own site, and check the domain: for example GOV.UK for the UK ETA, indianvisaonline.gov.in for India’s e-Visa, canada.ca for Canada’s eTA and esta.cbp.dhs.gov for the US ESTA.

Check before you buy

  • Open the destination government’s official page and check your nationality against it.
  • Check passport validity requirements and any blank-page rules.
  • Count your days for the Schengen 90/180 rule if you will be in several countries.
  • Apply only on the official domain; do not pay a third party to ‘speed it up’.
  • Allow extra time at first entry for EES registration if you are a non-EU short-stay visitor.

Sources

General information to help you understand your options — not legal advice, and not a promise that any payment or refund is due to you. Your rights depend on the facts of your journey and the law that applies; check the official sources above and the carrier’s own terms.