‘Carnage’ expected as more countries adopt electronic travel checks

New rules for people travelling to 29 European countries will come in, with Japan and Thailand expected to follow suit. Photo / Brett Phibbs

By Gill Bonnett of RNZ

Getting online travel documents together and sharing private information with more foreign governments is frustrating and worrying, according to an aviation commentator.

Almost 30 European countries will be the next nations to ask travellers to fill out an online application for an electronic travel authority (ETA) from next year.

It is nothing new for those who travel to the US, but Britain introduced its ETA in January and other nations are also planning their new permits.

And while it’s not a visa, it’s another admin step to remember - or forget - in the busy time before a big trip.

The Passport Index has been ranking the strength of each country’s travel documents for a decade and New Zealand sits in sixth place, above Australia and the UK.

Visa waivers were being put in place to tighten up security so checks could be run before travellers checked in, said its chief executive Armand Arton.

Aviation commentator Irene King forecasts chaos when the European change comes in.

It amounted to a non-tariff barrier, she said, and people purchasing their flights online should be better alerted to the changes.

“When they change the rules, like with Europe, it’s going to be carnage for a period of time. Now I’m sure if you’re booking through a travel agent [it will be fine], but if you’re booking like most of us do - just online - you don’t get any of that information.”

Britain introduced its ETA in January for New Zealand passport holders, saying with more timely information about those coming to the border, it can better prevent the arrival of those who pose a threat.

It costs £10 (about $22), similar to New Zealand’s ETA, which was introduced in 2019 - although travellers coming here have to also pay the international visitor levy at the same time, bringing the price up to about $120.

King said countries seemed to be enjoying new revenue streams with no oversight or pain at the ballot box, as those who paid were not voters.

“You are having to declare a lot of personal information which is electronically stored by a foreign government, and you don’t know what those security settings are like around that storage of information.”

The Schengen bloc of 29 European countries was expected to adopt an ETA next year, and Thailand and Japan were also among countries waiting to follow suit.

The EU’s website said although collecting biometrics for pre-screening measures could have an impact on travellers’ privacy, the technology ensured that people’s fundamental rights were protected.

It estimated 1.4 billion people from more than 60 visa-exempt countries would need a travel authorisation when that system started, possibly next year.

Australia appeared to have come up with the idea of a non-visa permit, introduced in time for the Sydney Olympics in 2000.

Canada’s dated back to 2016 and the US’ to 2008.

But what happens if you forget, or do not know the country you have visited in the past now requires an ETA?

Cath O’Brien, executive director of the Board of Airlines Representatives, said it was best to be prepared, but it usually worked out.

She saw people very stressed near check-in gates trying to get last-minute approvals, and it could be stressful, but most ETAs came through in a matter of minutes.

And beware - some websites were charging over the odds to apply on a passenger’s behalf.

Some travellers on online forums said they had experienced problems scanning chips on passports.

Others were unhappy about paying to get into their own country - dual British citizens travelling on a New Zealand passport were also getting pinged with the UK’s ETA fee.

-RNZ