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ETIAS & ESTA Tracker: Check What You Actually Need Before You Fly
Select your passport country to see whether you need ESTA for the United States or ETIAS for Europe, plus the current live status of both programs. Straight answers, no application forms, no personal data collected.
🛂 Covers 42 ESTA + 57 ETIAS nationalities
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Here's what your passport needs for the US and Europe
🇺🇸 Traveling to the United States
—Search a passport country above to see your result.
Verify on Official ESTA Site →🇪🇺 Traveling to Europe (Schengen Area)
—Search a passport country above to see your result.
Verify on Official EU Site →
ESTA vs ETIAS: They Are Not The Same Thing
These two names get mixed up constantly, and it is an easy mix-up to make since both are electronic pre-travel screenings rather than traditional visas. The short version: ESTA is for flying to the United States. ETIAS will be for flying to Europe's Schengen Area. One has existed since 2009. The other has not launched yet. Here is the side-by-side comparison.
| Detail | ESTA (United States) | ETIAS (Europe) |
|---|---|---|
| Status | Active since 2009 | Not yet launched, expected in 2027 |
| Fee | $40.27 per traveler | €20 per traveler (once live) |
| Validity | 2 years or until passport expires | 3 years or until passport expires (once live) |
| Stay allowed | Up to 90 days per visit | Up to 90 days in any 180-day period |
| Who needs it | Citizens of 42 Visa Waiver Program countries | Citizens of 57 visa-exempt nationalities |
| Age exemptions | None, all ages must apply | Under 18 and over 70 pay no fee, still must register |
| Official site | esta.cbp.dhs.gov | travel-europe.europa.eu |
Watch for fake application sites. Because ETIAS is not live and ESTA fees have changed twice recently, there is real money to be made by scam sites that charge travelers two or three times the real government fee, or that "collect applications" for a system that does not exist yet. Only ever pay on the exact official domains linked throughout this page. If a site asks for payment before you have confirmed it is a government domain, close the tab.
Do You Need ESTA?
If you are flying or sailing to the United States and you hold a passport from one of the 42 Visa Waiver Program countries, you need an approved ESTA before you board, including for a layover. The fee is $40.27 per traveler as of 2026, a noticeable jump from the $21 many older articles still quote online. It rose to $40.00 in September 2025 under new legislation, then to $40.27 in January 2026 as part of an annual inflation adjustment. An approved ESTA is valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and it covers unlimited trips of up to 90 days each within that window.
Applying takes most people under fifteen minutes. You will need a valid e-passport, your travel plans, a U.S. contact address, and a card to pay the fee. Apply at least 72 hours before departure, though most approvals come back within minutes. If your ESTA is denied, you will need to apply for a standard B-1/B-2 visitor visa through a U.S. embassy instead, and that process (plus a newer $250 visa integrity fee introduced for many visa categories) is considerably longer and more expensive.
Pro tip: If your passport is not from a Visa Waiver Program country, don't waste time searching for an ESTA application. Check our entry visa requirements checker instead to see exactly which U.S. visa category applies to you.
Do You Need ETIAS?
Not yet, because nobody can apply for it yet. Once ETIAS does launch, it will apply to travelers from nearly 60 visa-exempt nationalities, including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Brazil, Japan, and most of South America, the Caribbean, and Asia-Pacific's visa-exempt countries. It will cover entry into roughly 30 European countries across the Schengen Area, including popular destinations like France, Italy, Spain, Germany, and Greece. The fee will be €20, waived for travelers under 18 and over 70 (though registration will still be required for them), and approval will be valid for three years or until your passport expires.
Until it launches, if your nationality currently enjoys visa-free entry to the Schengen Area, nothing changes. You can travel exactly as you do now, using the standard 90-days-in-180-days rule, with just your passport. The one thing worth tracking is Europe's separate Entry/Exit System (EES), which is different from ETIAS and is already live.
What About EES? A Different System You Might Be Confusing This With
EES, the Entry/Exit System, went live across the Schengen Area's external borders in April 2026. It is not something you apply for in advance. It is a biometric check, fingerprints and a photo, taken automatically the first time you cross a Schengen external border after launch, replacing manual passport stamping. You do not need to do anything before your trip for EES. ETIAS, by contrast, is a separate pre-travel authorization you will apply for online before you fly, similar in spirit to ESTA, and it has not launched yet. Two different systems, two different timelines, one common source of confusion.
What To Do Right Now While ETIAS Isn't Live
There genuinely is not much to prepare yet, and that is worth saying plainly since several sites imply otherwise to sell a service. Here is a realistic checklist.
- Confirm your passport is valid for at least six months beyond your planned return date, since this matters for both ESTA and future ETIAS approval
- If you're flying to the US and qualify for the Visa Waiver Program, apply for ESTA now, since it's already active and takes minutes
- Bookmark the official EU ETIAS page rather than any third-party "registration" site, so you apply directly once it opens
- Set a Google Alert for "ETIAS launch date" so you hear about the real launch the day it's announced, not months later
- If your destination also requires proof of onward travel or funds, check our visa requirements checker for the full picture beyond ETIAS alone
- Budget for the fee difference: our AI travel budget estimator can factor the updated ESTA cost into your trip total
Fee Comparison: What Different Entry Documents Actually Cost
Currency confusion is common here too, since ESTA is priced in dollars and ETIAS will be priced in euros. Use our currency converter if you want an exact comparison in your home currency on the day you're booking.
| Document | Typical Cost | Who It's For |
|---|---|---|
| ESTA | $40.27 | VWP nationals flying to the US for up to 90 days |
| ETIAS (once live) | €20 | Visa-exempt nationals flying to Schengen Europe for up to 90 days |
| Standard Schengen visa | Typically around €90 | Non-visa-exempt nationals visiting Europe |
| US B-1/B-2 visitor visa | $185, plus a $250 visa integrity fee for many applicants | Non-VWP nationals visiting the US |
Frequently Asked Questions
No. ETIAS has not launched. Any website currently accepting ETIAS "applications" or payments is not legitimate. The only way to know the moment it opens is to check the official EU travel portal directly.
The fee rose from $21 to $40 in September 2025 under new legislation, then to $40.27 in January 2026 as part of a routine annual inflation adjustment written into that law. Further small annual increases are expected.
No. EES is an automatic biometric check at the border that is already live. ETIAS is a pre-travel online authorization you apply for before flying, and it has not launched yet.
Yes for both, with no exceptions for ESTA. Once ETIAS launches, travelers under 18 and over 70 will still need to register but will not pay the fee.
You'll likely need a traditional visa rather than an electronic authorization. Check our entry visa requirements checker for your specific nationality and destination.
No. Both are pre-screening approvals that let you board a plane or ship. Final entry is always decided by a border officer on arrival.
No. The UK left the EU and Schengen Area, and now runs its own separate system called the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which is a different program with its own fee and application.
ESTA is valid for two years or until your passport expires. ETIAS, once live, will be valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
You'll need a new application. Both ESTA and the future ETIAS are linked to the specific passport number used at the time of approval, so a new passport invalidates the old authorization even if the original expiry date hasn't passed.
We update the status banner on this page as soon as an official date is confirmed, but the fastest way to catch it the moment it's announced is to set a free Google Alert for "ETIAS launch date."
Final Thoughts
The gap between what people assume about ETIAS and what is actually true right now is wide, mostly because so much content online was written before the delay and never updated. The practical reality in August 2026 is simple: if you're flying to the US and qualify for the Visa Waiver Program, apply for ESTA today at the real government price. If you're flying to Europe, keep traveling exactly as you always have, and don't pay anyone claiming to process an ETIAS application before the system exists. Check back here for the status update, and explore our travel blog for destination guides while you wait.
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Why Trust This Tool
We built this tracker because so much ETIAS content online was published before the 2026 delay and never corrected, and because the ESTA fee has changed twice in the last year while many pages still quote the old $21 rate. Every figure on this page traces back to an official government source, and we recheck the ETIAS status monthly.
Data accuracy notice: Program eligibility lists (which nationalities need ESTA or ETIAS) are curated from official government and EU sources and reviewed on a recurring basis. The ETIAS live status banner is manually verified, not pulled from a live government feed, since no public API for this exists. Always confirm on the official portal linked throughout this page before making a booking decision.
How we handle your data: This tool does not collect passport numbers, payment information, names, or any personal data. Selecting a country from the search box only checks it against a static public list stored in this page. Nothing you type is sent anywhere or saved.
Official sources we reference: U.S. CBP Official ESTA Portal, European Union Official ETIAS Page, and the U.S. Department of State's Visa Waiver Program listing.
This page is provided for general travel planning purposes and is not legal or immigration advice. Always confirm entry requirements directly with the official government portal for your specific nationality before booking. Learn more about how we research our content.