Getting up to speed on post Covid-19 visa rules
We have all but put the Covid-19 pandemic behind us and that means we can start travelling again! In the past year, most countries have opened their borders again and are now welcoming tourists.
After three years of not being able to go on holiday, taking a trip to a faraway place sounds very appealing. But for which countries exactly do you need a visa and what do you have to take into account?
The article below lists destinations for which you can apply for an e-visa instead of a physical visa, which greatly speeds up the application process.
The United States
Travellers from the UK and most of the European Union don’t need a visa to travel to the USA. However, it is mandatory to apply for an ESTA before departure.
An ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) is not a physical document, but a digital travel authorisation that allows you to travel to the USA without having to apply for a visa in advance. The ESTA is valid for two years from the date of issue and within this period of validity you may make an unlimited number of trips to the USA. Each individual stay may not exceed 90 days. The ESTA is usually granted within a few days and, in the case of an urgent application, even within an hour. Minors are also required to have an ESTA. There are a few reasons why you may not be able to apply for an ESTA. For example, if you have travelled to Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, Yemen, Libya, Somalia or North Korea in the last ten years or have ever held one of these nationalities, you will have to apply for a visa at the embassy instead of an ESTA.
Canada
Those who want to travel to Canada will have to apply for an eTA Canada before departure. Like an ESTA, this is an electronic travel authorisation that allows you to travel to Canada without having to apply for a visa. An eTA Canada is mandatory for anyone travelling to Canada for holiday, business or family visits. Minors must also have their own eTA.
An eTA is valid for up to five years from the time the visa application is approved. An eTA allows you to travel to Canada an unlimited number of times within the five-year validity period. For each individual trip, you may stay in Canada for up to six consecutive months. The validity of your eTA will expire when your passport expires.
Australia
There are two types of tourist visas for Australia, the eVisitor visa Australia (651) and the ETA Australia (600). The type of visa you can apply for depends on your nationality. Travellers from the UK or a country in the European Union generally meet the requirements for the eVisitor visa Australia. This visa is easy to apply for online and is usually approved within five days. From that moment on the visa is valid for 12 months and you may enter Australia an unlimited number of times. The maximum stay per trip is three consecutive months.
India
Travellers with British nationality must apply for an India visa before travelling to India. The advantage of this visa is that, for a number of years now, it has no longer been necessary to visit an Indian embassy or consulate, and that you can easily apply for the visa online. The Indian visa is valid for 30 days and you may stay 30 consecutive days in India. The visa is valid immediately from the moment of approval. You have to travel to India within 30 days. If you want to stay longer in India, you have to apply for another type of tourist visa.
Currently, British nationals cannot apply for an e-visa for India. They must instead apply for a paper visa via VFS Global. Egypt.
If you plan to go on holiday to Egypt, you will need to apply for an e-visa for Egypt. This can easily be done online and you do not need to queue up at the visa counter once you arrive in Egypt. The Egypt visa is valid for up to 90 days from the date of issue and allows you to stay in Egypt for up to 30 days. If you don't know your exact arrival date yet, you can fill in an expected arrival date in the application form and you can enter the country 30 days before or 30 days after that date.
For Egypt, it is also possible to apply for a visa on arrival at the airport. However, this does not guarantee that your visa will be approved and you will be able to enter the country. The e-visa does provide this guarantee.
Kenya
Travellers with British nationality meet the requirements of the electronic visa for Kenya and therefore do not need to visit the Kenyan embassy to apply for a visa there. The Kenya visa is mandatory for all travellers who want to enter Kenya; without a valid visa you will not be allowed to enter the country. The validity period indicated on the visa is the period during which you may enter Kenya. The visa is valid for three months and within this period you may stay in Kenya for 90 consecutive days.
New Zealand
Since 2019, it is no longer possible to travel visa-free to New Zealand. Travellers will need to apply for a visa for New Zealand, also known as the NZeTA, before departure. If you apply for an NZeTA online, you don’t need to visit the embassy to have the visa affixed to your passport. Once your NZeTA is granted it is automatically linked to your passport. The NZeTA is comparable to the eVisitor for Australia or the eTA for Canada, for example.
The NZeTA is valid for two years from the date of granting and allows you to make an unlimited number of trips to New Zealand. Per trip, you may stay in New Zealand for up to three consecutive months. Per period of 12 months you may stay in New Zealand for a total of six months.
