Pre-travel authorisations are becoming the default for short visits. With ETIAS launching in late 2026, travellers from major visa-waiver countries will need to manage three separate systems, ETIAS for Schengen, UK ETA for Britain, and ESTA for the United States.

ETIAS costs €20 and is valid for up to three years. UK ETA costs £16 and lasts two years. US ESTA costs $21 and is valid for two years. All three are online applications that take under 30 minutes, all three are linked to the passport, and all three require renewal when the passport is replaced.

The systems do not talk to each other. Approval in one has no bearing on the others. Refusal in one, however, can trigger additional scrutiny in the others, particularly between ESTA and ETIAS, which share some watch-list data via Interpol channels.

For frequent transatlantic travellers, the practical takeaway is to budget around €40-€50 per year across all three systems, and to apply for each well before travel rather than at the airport.