United States Moves Alongside Canada and Other Nations as ESTA Fees Rise and Travel Entry Rules Differ

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The United States has increased the approved ESTA fee to US$40.62 from 16 October 2026, adding fresh costs for eligible Visa Waiver Programme travellers. Canada, Australia and New Zealand also use passport-linked electronic travel permissions, but fees, validity, application methods and replacement-passport procedures differ. In the United States, Canada and Australia, a new passport ordinarily means a new authorisation or visa application. New Zealand permits eligible NZeTA holders to request a passport-number update instead. For airlines, cruise operators and travel agents, that distinction can determine whether a passenger boards.

Four Digital Entry Systems Share a Purpose but Not a Rulebook

All four destinations screen specified international visitors electronically before travel. However, an ESTA is not a visa, Canada’s eTA is predominantly an air-arrival requirement, Australia’s ETA is itself a temporary visa, and New Zealand’s NZeTA enables eligible travellers to seek entry without obtaining a visitor visa in advance. Eligibility varies by passport, purpose and route.

Fees are quoted in local currencies and are not directly comparable without exchange rates. The International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy has exemptions.

United States ESTA Increase Takes Effect Before Winter Travel

The US Department of Homeland Security’s 1 October Federal Register notice confirms the approved ESTA fee rose from US$40.27 to US$40.62 on 16 October. Its components are a US$17 travel-promotion charge, US$13 general-fund charge and US$10.62 processing charge. An unsuccessful application attracts only the processing charge. The 35-cent rise is an annual inflation adjustment.

Under the Visa Waiver Programme, eligible visitors may travel for tourism or qualifying short business activities for 90 days or less. ESTA applies to relevant air, sea and land arrivals. US Customs and Border Protection advises applying when travel is planned. Approval does not guarantee admission; border officers retain the final decision. A replacement passport, changed citizenship or certain changed eligibility answers requires another application through the official ESTA website.

Canada Keeps Its Seven-Dollar eTA While Expanding Eligibility

Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada charges CAD$7 for an eTA, which can remain valid for five years unless the passport expires sooner. Most decisions arrive within minutes, although document requests can extend processing for days. Eligible air passengers must use the passport linked to their approved eTA. The airline checks linked passport details.

Canada also made a targeted change on 26 May 2026. Certain Indonesian and Malaysian passport holders who held a Canadian temporary resident visa within the previous ten years, or possess a valid US non-immigrant visa, became eligible to request an eTA for travel by air.

The government announcement recorded approximately 18,300 Indonesian and 11,500 Malaysian visitors in 2025. Importantly, qualifying visitors arriving by land or sea may still need a Canadian visitor visa rather than an eTA.

Australia Makes Its Official ETA App Part of Immigration Compliance

Australia’s Electronic Travel Authority subclass 601 permits eligible visitors to enter repeatedly for up to three months at a time during its usual 12-month validity. The visa application charge is nil, but the mandatory Australian ETA app has an AUD$20 service fee. Applicants need a compatible phone with a camera and near-field communication capability to scan passport data and take a facial photograph.

Agents face a separate obligation. Authorised travel agents can assist through the app, yet the traveller must be physically present with their passport while the application is completed. If a passport is replaced, the existing ETA ceases and a new one is necessary.

Some eligible European passport holders instead qualify for Australia’s free eVisitor subclass 651; advisers must distinguish that separate visa from the ETA before quoting costs. The ETA also permits qualifying conference and trade-fair participation, but not paid employment in Australia.

New Zealand Combines Digital Entry With a Tourism Levy

Immigration New Zealand charges NZD$17 through its official app or NZD$23 online. Most visitors also pay the NZD$100 International Visitor Conservation and Tourism Levy, bringing typical visitor application totals to NZD$117 or NZD$123. Eligible Auckland transit passengers are levy-exempt. Officials advise allowing 72 hours for processing. The levy contributes to tourism infrastructure and conservation.

The scale is significant. Government figures updated on 12 October show more than 8.56 million traveller NZeTAs approved between the system’s August 2019 introduction and 30 September 2026.

They also document a policy trial allowing eligible Chinese and Pacific Islands Forum passport holders arriving from Australia with qualifying Australian visas to use an NZeTA. By 30 September, 135,972 requests had been approved under the arrangement and 119,069 travellers had arrived.

Immigration New Zealand estimated an economic benefit of NZD$215 million during the trial’s first six months, linking digital border policy to real visitor spending and two-country itineraries.

Replacing a Passport Creates Four Different Booking Outcomes

Passport renewal can invalidate a permission before its expiry date. New Zealand provides a different administrative route, not an automatic transfer.

The New Zealand NZeTA change-request form accepts an updated passport number and minor corrections. It cannot change nationality, passport-issuing state, declaration answers or the NZeTA category. Those alterations require a new request.

The dedicated form explicitly advises making passport-number changes at least ten days before travel. Until updated details match the new passport, boarding remains at risk.

Air, Land and Cruise Arrivals Demand Different Checks

Arrival mode matters on air-cruise, rail and cross-border itineraries.

Not every national needs these permissions. Canadian citizens travelling on Canadian passports, for example, do not require US ESTA. Australian citizens entering New Zealand on Australian passports do not need an NZeTA.

The Canadian eligibility guidance and each destination’s nationality checker must prevail over generalised advice.

Official Application Channels Become a Consumer Protection Test

Travellers should use the US ESTA government portal, the Canadian eTA application on Canada.ca, the Australian ETA mobile app, or Immigration New Zealand’s official NZeTA website or app. Third-party sites cannot accelerate New Zealand approvals, and Canada’s official eTA still costs CAD$7.

Application workflows are not identical. The US permits third parties to submit ESTA requests on a visitor’s behalf. Australian ETA representatives must arrange in-person passport scanning. New Zealand’s app permits requests for up to ten people together, but each person still requires their own authorisation.

A single digital-travel checklist cannot replace country-specific instructions.

The Larger Industry Risk Lies in the Passport Data, Not Just the Fee

For travel management companies, airlines, cruise brands and MICE organisers, the comparison exposes an operational fault line. A booking may be confirmed, a passport valid and an electronic permission apparently current, yet the travel document linked to that permission may no longer exist. Automated carrier checks then confront the mismatch before the traveller reaches immigration. Correcting it can take minutes, days or a new application, depending on the jurisdiction.

The commercial issue extends beyond application prices. A missed flight can break an interconnected itinerary, leaving hotels, guided tours, transfers and conference registrations unused. Conversely, correctly advising a European visitor about Australia’s free eVisitor, or a New Zealand-bound passenger about an IVL exemption, prevents unnecessary charges. These are risks, not measured losses.

New Zealand’s measured trial results also show why authorisation systems merit attention from tourism strategists: eligibility changes can facilitate journeys between neighbouring destinations without creating a universal visa. Canada’s selective 2026 expansion offers a related example of digital screening being used to ease qualifying air access while retaining different requirements for other modes.

Neither development constitutes a four-country policy agreement.

Essential Actions for Travel Agents and Tour Operators

• Check eligibility: Verify nationality, immigration status, purpose and every mode of arrival before identifying the correct permission.
• Match passport details: Record passport expiry, issuing country and passport number alongside the authorisation expiry date.
• Revalidate after changes: Recheck permissions following passport renewal, loss, name change or nationality change.
• Follow Australia’s app rules: Ensure the traveller and physical passport are present for app-assisted ETA applications.
• Review New Zealand exemptions: Check IVL liability and allow adequate lead time for NZeTA changes.
• Use official channels: Explain approval delays or refusal risks before non-refundable bookings.
• Assess every passenger: Verify children and cruise passengers individually where authorisation is required.

Digital Borders Will Shape How International Trips Are Sold

The latest ESTA adjustment is modest, but it highlights a broader transition: international entry compliance is increasingly embedded in travel booking and airline departure systems.

Canada’s nationality-specific exemptions, Australia’s app-based identity checks and New Zealand’s passport-update route show that digitisation does not mean harmonisation.

Over time, travel businesses able to match the correct passport, permission and transport mode should be better positioned to reduce preventable disruption while supporting multi-destination tourism growth.

FAQs

Does every visitor to the United States pay US$40.62 for ESTA?

No. Only approved ESTA applicants pay US$40.62; refusals incur US$10.62. US citizens, Canadian passport holders and travellers using valid US visas generally do not need ESTA.

Can a Canadian eTA be transferred to a replacement passport?

No. Canada requires a new eTA application. Airlines check the replacement passport against its electronic authorisation.

Is Australia’s ETA the same as its eVisitor visa?

No. Australia’s subclass 601 uses the official app with an AUD$20 fee; eVisitor subclass 651 is free for eligible nationalities.

Must every New Zealand NZeTA applicant pay NZD$100 extra?

No. Most visitors pay the NZD$100 levy, but exemptions include eligible transit passengers and specified residents or nationalities.

Which country lets travellers update an NZeTA after getting a new passport?

New Zealand permits eligible passport-detail updates; its official form advises at least ten days. Nationality or declaration changes require a new NZeTA.