Electronic visa

Confirmation of electronic visa approval by country. From clockwise: Saudi Arabia, Cambodia, India, Mongolia.

An electronic visa (E-Visa) and an electronic travel authorization (ETA, also styled eTA) are online systems established by countries that affirm the eligibility of a foreign national to travel to their country under their immigration laws. They confirm that the visitor meets the country's conditions for entry.

Depending on a country's visa category and intention of travel, these systems are a midway point between countries allowing a foreign national to travel to their country unconditionally without a visa, or, countries that require a foreign national to attend a interview at an embassy or consulate to obtain a traditional paper visa in advance before traveling to their country.

Beginning in the 2000s, many countries introduced online systems to issue visas or travel authorizations in electronic form, as an alternative to a traditional paper visa—particularly in the case of ETAs where a bilateral visa waiver program is in place but the receiving country requires background checks to confirm that the visitor meets the conditions of the program. These online systems were established mainly to streamline travel by short-term visitors and tourists from a limited set of countries.

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