Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA)

In brief for employers

Electronic Travel Authorization, ETA for short or eTA depending on the country, refers to electronic travel authorizations for certain short stays without a visa. ETAs are relevant for employers because they increasingly need to be applied for before travel and, depending on the country, can be for tourism, transit or specific business purposes.

The term is often confused with ESTA, business travel visa and work permit. However, an ETA is usually not a general work permit. It is a travel compliance component that should be checked before the trip.

Definition

An Electronic Travel Authorization is a digital pre-approval that eligible travelers must apply for before entering the country. Examples are national systems such as a UK ETA or Canada eTA. The exact name, validity, target group and permitted activities differ depending on the country.

For companies, this means that it is not enough to simply ask whether a person can travel without a visa. It must be checked whether an electronic travel authorization is necessary and whether the specific purpose of the trip falls under it.

Typical checks

Before a trip, HR and travel management should clarify:

• Which country are you traveling to?
• What nationality and residence status does the person have?
• Is an ETA, visa or ESTA required?
• Is the trip tourist, business or work-related?
• What activities are permitted under ETA?
• Are there transit or stopover rules?
• Does a work permit or business travel visa also need to be checked?

These points should be standardized in the International Travel Compliance process because electronic travel authorizations are country-specific and requirements can change.

Important distinctions

ESTA is a specific electronic travel authorization for the US Visa Waiver Program. ETA is the more general term for electronic travel authorizations from other countries. A tourist visa is a visa category for private travel. A work permit concerns work authorization. An ETA should therefore never be understood as an automatic approval for productive work.

How Vamoz helps with ETA

Vamoz Business Travel helps embed ETA checks into the travel process. Companies can record nationality, destination country, purpose of travel and planned activity and thus identify early which entry or work authorization is necessary.

Vamoz particularly supports:

• Preliminary check of ETA, ESTA, visa and work permit relevance;
• Differentiation between tourist, business and work-related trips;
• Documentation of the decision before departure;
• Escalation in the case of unclear activities or longer stays;
• Connection with the Business Travel Policy.