As Germans, we have the advantage of being able to travel to many countries without having to get a visa. But simply presenting your passport when entering the country is no longer enough in many countries. The USA and Canada already require online registration before boarding a plane there. Now other countries are being added.
Great Britain: Entry from April 2025 only with ETA registration
After Great Britain left the European Union, the British are now also regulating entry. Since October 2021, EU citizens have already needed a passport. From April 2nd of next year, travelers from the EU will also have to apply for an electronic travel authorization on the island. Great Britain also asks travelers to pay for the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA): ten British pounds. Applications can be submitted from March 5th, 2025. The authorization is valid for multiple trips within two years.
ETA-IL: Entry registration is still free in Israel
Israel has already introduced electronic registration for Germans and other travelers from visa-exempt countries. Initially in a pilot phase on a voluntary basis, which was recently extended. From January 2025, online registration will then be mandatory, as the German Embassy in Tel Aviv writes. The Israeli government also justified the step by saying that arrivals would then no longer have to be turned away. For security reasons, Israel had previously refused entry to thousands of arrivals at the airport or at the borders every year. Registration is currently still free of charge. From January, the ETA-IL will cost 25 shekels (approx. 6.30 euros).
Japan has also announced that it will require visa-exempt travelers to obtain online authorization in the future, but not for a few years.
USA requires electronic entry registration since 2009
In the USA, the following has been in place for 15 years: Before a traveler from Germany boards a plane there, he must apply online for the so-called ESTA authorization, where he must disclose a lot of data and answer various questions – from his place of work to his parents’ names, illnesses and criminal records. Data protection advocates have repeatedly criticized this. There is also a fee of 21 US dollars.
Canada introduced its eTA in 2016 and charges each traveller seven Canadian dollars, or around five euros.
Stiftung Warentest warns against non-original ESTA websites
Travelers should make sure that they really use the official website of a country. As Stiftung Warentest found out in the case of the USA, there are many providers on the Internet that offer online registration, but they then charge a much higher fee.
By the way: Conversely, people entering the European Union will also have to register electronically from 2025. This applies to people between the ages of 18 and 70 from visa-exempt countries. The fee for ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is seven euros. The authorisation is valid for three years.
