Some European countries will ask travellers to fill out an online application for an electronic travel authority from next year. File photo. Photo: 123RF
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 latest 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 the UK introduced its ETA in January and other nations are also planning their new permits.
And while it is not a visa, it is 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 Passport Index chief executive Armand Arton.
Aviation commentator Irene King expects 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, 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 pounds - 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 are expected to adopt an ETA next year, and Thailand and Japan are also among the countries waiting to follow suit.
The EU's website says although collecting biometrics for pre-screening measures can have an impact on travellers' privacy, the technology ensures that people's fundamental rights are protected.
It estimates 1.4 billion people from more than 60 visa-exempt countries will need a travel authorisation when that system starts, possibly next year.
Australia appears to have come up with the idea of a non-visa permit, introduced in time for the Sydney Olympics in 2000. Canada's dates back to 2016 and America's to 2008.
But what happens if you forget, or do not know the country you have visited in the past now requires an ETA?
Board of Airlines Representatives executive director Cath O'Brien 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 can be stressful, but most ETAs came through in a matter of minutes.
And beware - some websites are charging over the odds to apply on a passenger's behalf. Some travellers on online forums say they have 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, are also getting pinged for the UK's ETA fee.
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