FAQ ETA – Frequently Asked Questions about Electronic Visas

An ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) or "electronic visa" is an increasingly popular and preferred method for submitting visa applications through the online portals of official authorities. Unlike the traditional visa, which requires submitting your documents, including your passport and application in paper form, at the visa office counter, the electronic application involves less paperwork, less effort, and usually lower costs.

Unfortunately, no. While more and more countries are offering the option to apply for and receive a visa entirely online, countries like China and Russia (except certain cities) still require a traditional paper visa application.

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Electronic visas are usually issued for the most common purposes of travel such as business trips, tourism, and visiting family and friends. Purposes like employment, studying abroad, installation of machinery, etc., may not be covered by an ETA, depending on the country.

This varies from country to country. For example, India allows entry by airplane and selected seaports with an ETA but not by land.

Many popular destinations such as India or Sri Lanka also offer cruise ship passengers the possibility to disembark with an ETA. For other countries, such as Myanmar, a traditional visa is required for cruises.

If an electronic visa is available for your purpose of travel, it is recommended to choose it over a traditional visa. Electronic visas are usually cheaper, are issued faster, and you don't have to part with your passport.

Electronic visas themselves have no inherent disadvantages. However, not all visa types are available as electronic visas depending on the country.

Electronic visas are usually cheaper than traditional visas. The application and processing are faster (sometimes visas are issued as quickly as 24 hours after application). Since ETAs are applied for entirely online, no shipping of your passport or other original documents is necessary. This saves additional time and money.

Most electronic visa applications consist of an online questionnaire where you provide information about yourself and your planned trip. Depending on the country, these can be longer or shorter. You then usually need to upload a biometric photo and a scan of the main page of your passport (plastic or laminated data page).

On our site, you will find all ETA forms in German. You can send us the scans of your passport and photo in response to our automatically sent confirmation email. Our staff will then review all the information and apply for the electronic visa for you.

Once the visa is granted, you will receive it by email. It is usually a PDF document that you print out and place in your passport.

In principle, all information from the passport must always be clearly legible, without anything being cut off or obscured. If data is blurry, cut off, or otherwise not fully visible, the visa may be denied. Refunds for payments already made to the visa authority are not possible in such cases. The passport scan should preferably be in color. Black and white scans are also acceptable in some countries but must still be high resolution and clear.

A photo is biometric if it is in color, taken from the front, and shows both ears. You should have a neutral facial expression (lips closed), not wear glasses or headgear (thin-framed glasses without reflections are usually okay), and the face, hair, and neck should be fully visible. The background should preferably be white. Everything must be sharp and in sufficient size.

You can also send us your passport photo and a copy of your passport by mail. Please make sure to send photos on glossy photo paper in the standard passport photo format unless otherwise requested.

Ensure that the passport copy is clear and readable, and avoid creases in the paper.

If you are taking a photo of your passport, make sure there are no shadows or reflections on the photo, the passport is taken from the front (not held at an angle), and no data is covered.