Travelers may start paying an additional charge when journeying abroad as more countries will soon require visitor permission documents with fees attached to them.

Parts of the world will begin requiring Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETAs) as of 2025, including some of the most popular destinations for American tourists.

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ETAs are entry permit slips for travelers to countries that don’t require visas and are tied to your passport.

They serve to determine a traveler’s eligibility to visit a country, however, admission may still be at the discretion of border officers upon arrival.

The U.S. already requires visitors from 41 countries to get an Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) at a cost of $21.

United Kingdom

Starting Jan. 8, 2025, the U.K. will require U.S. citizens to obtain an ETA for tourism and business travel.

The processing time is typically three business days, so travelers should apply for the authorization ahead of their trip.

U.K. ETAs cost £10 ($13) and last for two years unless your passport expires before the two year period ends. Americans are limited to visiting the U.K. for six months.

There were 3.7 million American visitors to the U.K. in 2022, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce.

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Most of Europe

European countries are scheduled to implement a European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) program in mid-2025.

Americans traveling to 30 countries will have to pay €7 ($7.70) for an EITAS permit — applicants under 18 and over 70 are exempt from payment. It’s valid for three years or until the travel document used in your application expires. Travelers can visit these countries for up to 90 days in a 180-day period.

It’s expected processing in most cases will take a matter of minutes and no more than four days. In certain cases, some applicants may be asked to provide additional documentation or participate in an interview, extending the process up to 30 days.

European countries that will require an ETIAS are:

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.

There were 3.1 million American visitors to France in 2022, 2.6 million to Italy, 2 million each to Germany and Spain, around 990,000 each to Germany and the Netherlands, 953,000 to Portugal and 800,000 to Switzerland, per the Department of Commerce.

Israel

Beginning in January 2025, Israel will require ETAs for Americans and charge them 25 NIS ($6.70) for the two-year permit.

The ETA takes up to 72 hours to process, and travelers are allowed to stay in the country for 90 days.

There were 648,000 American tourists to Israel in 2022, according to the Department of Commerce.

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This article provides information only and should not be construed as advice. It is provided without warranty of any kind.