Visas Coupons: 4 Verified Brands | Oct 2026

Many visitors who do not need a visa still need permission before they fly. The UK's Electronic Travel Authorisation costs £20 since April 8, 2026, the United States requires an ESTA for visa waiver travelers, and the EU's own authorisation, ETIAS, was still not in operation as of September 2026, with its launch repeatedly pushed back.

Visa rules change often, and the official government fee is only part of what online services charge. This category covers visa and travel document services such as iVisa, Visagov and SimpleVisa, plus travel platforms such as Wego that help with entry requirements.

Once your paperwork is sorted, see Flights, Hotels and eSIM for mobile data abroad.

What this category covers

Visa, eVisa or travel authorisation?

A traditional visa is issued by an embassy or consulate, often with an appointment, documents and sometimes an interview. An eVisa is applied for and issued online, and is common for tourism in countries such as India, Turkey and Vietnam.

A travel authorisation, such as the US ESTA or the UK ETA, is a lighter online check for travelers from countries that do not need a visa. It is not a visa, but you still cannot board without it.

Should you apply directly or through a visa service?

You can almost always apply directly on the official government website and pay only the official fee. Visa services such as iVisa and Visagov charge a service fee on top, in return for checking your form, handling photos and tracking the application.

A service can be worth it for complex applications or unfamiliar languages. For simple travel authorisations, applying directly is usually cheapest.

How to spot unofficial lookalike sites

Search results for ESTA, ETA and eVisa applications often show unofficial sites that look like government pages and charge several times the official fee. Official sites for the UK and US end in gov.uk and gov, and most countries link to their official eVisa portal from their foreign ministry or embassy website.

Legitimate third party services say clearly that they are not a government agency and show their fee separately. If a site hides that, go to the official portal instead.

What about Europe's Schengen area?

The Schengen area covers most EU countries plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland, and a single Schengen visa allows short stays of up to 90 days in any 180 day period across all of them. The standard adult Schengen visa fee has been €90 since June 2024.

The EU also introduced its Entry/Exit System, which registers non EU travelers' fingerprints and facial images at the border instead of passport stamps. Allow extra time at the border on your first entry after it applies to you.

When should you apply?

Travel authorisations are often approved quickly, but some take days, so apply as soon as your trip is booked. Embassy visas can take weeks, especially before summer and holiday seasons, when appointment slots fill up.

Check the earliest date you can apply, since some countries do not accept applications too far ahead of travel.

Passport validity rules

Many countries require your passport to be valid for several months beyond your stay, commonly six months, and to have blank pages for stamps. Airlines check this at boarding and can refuse travel if your passport does not qualify.

Renew your passport early if it is close to these limits. Passport offices also get busy before holiday seasons.

Photos and documents

Visa photos must meet strict rules for size, background and expression, and a rejected photo is a common reason for delays. Many visa services check or reformat photos, which is one of the more useful parts of their service.

Keep digital copies of your passport, visa approval and bookings. Some countries ask to see a return ticket, accommodation and proof of funds on arrival.

Transit visas

Changing planes in some countries requires a transit visa, even if you never leave the airport. Rules depend on your nationality, the airport and whether you change terminals, so check before booking a connection.

Visas on arrival

Some countries issue visas on arrival at the airport for certain nationalities, paid in cash or by card. Queues can be long, and many of these countries now offer an eVisa that saves time at the border.

What happens if a visa is refused?

Government fees are usually not refunded if an application is refused, and visa service fees often are not either. A refusal may need to be declared on future applications, so answer every question honestly and completely.

Making a visa service coupon go further

Coupons for visa services reduce the service fee, not the government fee, which stays the same everywhere. Compare the total with applying directly before using a code.

Check whether a service offers a refund of its fee if your application is refused. That matters more than a small discount.