Four countries now require visa-exempt travelers to get a pre-travel electronic authorization before boarding: the UK’s ETA, the US’s ESTA, Canada’s eTA, and Australia’s ETA. They sound interchangeable and they’re often confused for each other, but the fees, validity periods, and recent changes differ enough that assuming one behaves like another is a real way to get denied boarding. Here’s the 2026 picture, side by side.
Quick comparison
| UK ETA | US ESTA | Canada eTA | Australia ETA | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fee | £20 | $40 (+ inflation adjustment) | CAD $7 | AUD $20 |
| Validity | Up to 2 years or until passport expires | 2 years or until passport expires | Up to 5 years or until passport expires | 12 months or until passport expires |
| Max stay per visit | Up to 6 months | Up to 90 days | Not fixed by the eTA itself (visitor-status rules apply) | Up to 3 months per visit |
| Applies to | Air, sea, rail arrivals | Air and sea arrivals (land border uses a different I-94 process) | Air arrivals only | Air and sea arrivals |
The single biggest recent change: ESTA’s fee nearly doubled
The most consequential update across all four systems in 2026 is on the US side. Effective 30 September 2025, under the H.R. 1 budget reconciliation legislation, the ESTA fee rose from $21 to $40, with a further small inflation adjustment (commonly cited around $40.27) baked in for 2026 — and the law authorizes annual inflation-based increases going forward, so expect the figure to keep drifting upward rather than settling. This makes the US now clearly the most expensive of the four to obtain, a reversal from a few years ago when it was roughly comparable to the UK’s fee. If you last checked the ESTA cost before September 2025, the number you remember is out of date.
UK ETA: the newest of the four
The UK’s ETA reached full “no permission, no travel” enforcement on 25 February 2026 after a phased 2024–2025 rollout — airlines, ferries, and Eurostar now check for a valid ETA before boarding, mirroring how US carriers have long checked for ESTA. At £20, it sits in the middle of the group on price, and its up-to-6-month permitted stay is the most generous of the four for a single visit. See our full UK ETA guide for who’s exempt and the application process.
Canada eTA: cheapest, and air-only
Canada’s eTA remains the cheapest by a wide margin at CAD $7 — a fraction of the others — and has the longest standard validity window at up to 5 years. The tradeoff is narrower scope: it’s required for air travel only; land and sea entry from the United States doesn’t require an eTA at all, a rule that trips up travelers assuming the requirement is universal.
Australia ETA: shortest validity, app-only application
Australia’s ETA (subclass 601) costs AUD $20 and is valid for 12 months — the shortest of the four — permitting stays of up to 3 months per visit within that window. As of 2026, Australia has moved to requiring the application be submitted through the official AustralianETA mobile app rather than a website, a process quirk that doesn’t apply to any of the other three systems.
What doesn’t change across any of them
- None of the four guarantee entry. Every one is a pre-screening step; a border or immigration officer still makes the final admission call on arrival, and can refuse entry even to someone holding a valid, approved authorization.
- Eligibility is nationality-specific and independent per country. Being eligible for a low-cost, simple eTA for one country says nothing about your eligibility for another — always check each country’s own eligible-nationality list.
- None of them grant work rights. All four cover only short visits for tourism, family visits, business meetings, or (for some) short-term study — using one to work is a status violation regardless of which country issued it.
FAQ
Do I need to apply for all four if I’m visiting all four countries on one trip? Yes — each system is entirely separate and tied to the specific country’s border, not a shared regional scheme. An ETA for the UK does nothing for Canada, the US, or Australia, and you need each one approved before travel to that country specifically.
Which of these is cheapest? Canada’s eTA, at CAD $7 (roughly USD $5), is by far the cheapest of the four as of 2026. The US ESTA is now the most expensive by a wide margin after its September 2025 fee increase, at $40 plus an inflation adjustment.
Does holding an ETA/ESTA guarantee I’ll be let into the country? No, for any of the four. Each is a pre-screening authorization that lets you board a flight and be considered for entry — a border officer at arrival still makes the final admission decision in every case, and can refuse entry even with a valid, approved authorization.
This is preparation guidance, not legal advice — fees, validity periods, and eligible-nationality lists change on each government’s own schedule. Always confirm current details directly with the official source before booking travel.
VisaMet is building AI-assisted eligibility checks to help you confirm which of these you actually need before a multi-country trip. Join the waitlist for early access.
Sources
GOV.UK — Apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), U.S. Customs and Border Protection — ESTA fee change announcements, Government of Canada — Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA), Australian Department of Home Affairs — Electronic Travel Authority (subclass 601) program guidance.