Every Country With an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA), and What It Costs

An electronic travel authorization is the lightest layer of paperwork a government can put between a visa-free passport and its border: fill out a short form online, pay a fee, get an emailed approval, travel. Nine countries currently run a genuine, broad ETA program covering most of the world's passports, not a narrow bilateral arrangement covering one or two nationalities. Ranked from cheapest to most expensive, here's what each one actually charges.

The ranking

1. Canada - CAD 7 (about $5)

   The eTA is Canada's cheapest, a flat CAD 7 for most visa-exempt visitors, distinct from and far less than the CAD 100 Temporary Resident Visa that non-exempt passports need instead.

2. South Korea - KRW 10,000 (about $7)

   K-ETA costs a flat KRW 10,000 regardless of nationality, and once approved is valid for up to two years of multiple entries.

3. Israel - 25 ILS (about $8)

   ETA-IL became mandatory for visa-exempt visitors on 1 January 2025, one of the newest programs on this list, and one of the cheapest at 25 Israeli shekels, valid for two years.

4. New Zealand - NZD 17 (about $10)

   The NZeTA itself is only NZD 17 in the app, but nearly every visitor also owes a separate NZD 100 International Visitor Levy charged at the same time, which is what actually makes New Zealand one of the pricier entries here once both are added.

5. Australia - AUD 20 (about $14)

   The subclass 601 ETA service charge is a flat AUD 20, one of the longest-running programs on this list, predating most of the others by years.

6. Saint Kitts and Nevis - $17

   A newer entrant: the government's own eTA portal charges a flat USD 17 per traveler for single entry, up from a discounted USD 8.50 introductory rate that ended 1 September 2025.

7. United Kingdom - £20 (about $27)

   The UK ETA rolled out through 2024 and 2025 to cover visa-exempt visitors who previously needed nothing at all, a genuinely new layer of paperwork rather than a replacement for an older one.

8. Kenya - $30

   Kenya's eTA applies even though Kenya itself waives it entirely for a growing list of African Union nationalities, who enter visa-free instead; the fee only applies to travelers who need the authorization in the first place.

9. United States - $40.27

   The ESTA is the oldest and most expensive program on this list, running since 2009 and now the reference point every newer ETA gets compared against, even though most of the newer programs actually charge less.

What's deliberately left off this list

A handful of other destinations carry an ETA-like classification in various travel databases, including Papua New Guinea and Suriname, but a specific, current, officially sourced fee wasn't findable for either at the time of writing, so they're left off here rather than guessed at. If you're checking one of those, confirm directly with that country's own immigration authority.

Why 'ETA' keeps expanding

Every one of the nine above pairs the ETA with a country that used to require nothing at all from most of these passports, not a step down from a full visa. The trend runs almost entirely one direction: since ESTA launched in 2009, Canada, the UK, Kenya, Israel, New Zealand, South Korea, Australia, and Saint Kitts and Nevis have all added an authorization requirement on top of previously unconditional visa-free access, and the EU's own ETIAS is due to join the list once it finally launches. See what ETIAS will add to Schengen entry.