What these things are
An eVisa, an ETA and an ESTA are not the same permission, and which one you need is not a choice.
eVisa, ETA or ESTA?
An eVisa is a visa, issued online instead of in a passport. An ETA is not a visa: it is permission to travel, for passports that need no visa. The United Kingdom, Canada and the European Union each run one, and ESTA is the United States' version of the same idea.
Which one applies is decided by the passport you hold and where you are going, never by what you would prefer. Start an application and we tell you which before you pay.
Do I need one at all?
If your passport already needs a full visa for that country, an ETA or ESTA is not the right thing and will not help you. If your passport is visa-free, most of these countries now require the authorisation before you board.
Each destination publishes its own eligibility list, and every one of those official pages is linked from the destinations page.
When does ETIAS start?
It has not started. The European Union has not fixed a date and it is expected in 2027. Until then, visa-free travellers enter the Schengen area on their passport alone.
Anyone selling you an ETIAS today is selling you nothing. We hold ETIAS applications and submit them the day it opens.
One ETIAS for all of Europe?
Yes. One covers the whole Schengen area, which is thirty countries. You do not apply per country.
How much?
It depends where you are going, because every country charges its own fee and asks for different paperwork. Per applicant: United Kingdom $9, United States $15, Canada $9, EU ETIAS $9, Kenya $6, India $6, Turkey $4, Indonesia $4.
Every other destination, with both of its fees, is on the fee page.
Our rule is at least 70% under the cheapest visa site for that same destination. On a UK ETA the cheapest of them is Atlys at about $30, then VisaHQ at $59, then iVisa at about $74.
The government's own fee is separate and never marked up: United Kingdom £20, United States $40, Canada CAD 7, ETIAS €20, Kenya from $30. Turkey and India set theirs by passport.
Is anything added later?
No. The two numbers you see before you enter anything are the two numbers you pay. There is no priority tier, no service charge at the end, and nothing recurring.
A family or a group?
Everyone goes on one application and you pay once. Each traveller is one fee, because each destination charges per person, and both totals are shown before payment.
Refused?
Your Venelas fee comes back, the way you paid it, whatever the reason for the refusal. We do not ask you to prove anything and we do not offer credit instead of money.
The government fee belongs to the destination and it keeps that. Read the terms.
Late?
If a decision arrives later than the published window because of something we did, your Venelas fee comes back. If the destination itself is slow, that is not ours to refund and no service can honestly claim otherwise. We will tell you plainly what has happened rather than go quiet.
Time
Every one of these times is published by the destination, not by us.
How long does a decision take?
These are the destinations' own published times, not ours, and no service can shorten them. Anyone charging extra for speed is charging you for nothing.
How far ahead should I apply?
As soon as your trip is real. Most of these are valid for years rather than for one trip, so applying early costs nothing and removes the risk of a slow week. India asks that you apply at least four days ahead.
How long is it valid?
Validity and how long you may stay are different things, and both are on the destinations page.
Documents and data
Uploaded once, reused on the next application, deleted on a fixed schedule after a decision.
What do you need from me?
You upload once. We reuse it on the next application rather than asking again.
What happens to my passport scan?
It is stored so your next application takes about a minute, and deleted on a fixed schedule after a decision. How we handle your data.
Do I get something to print?
Usually nothing needs printing. These authorisations are linked electronically to the passport you applied on, so you travel on that same passport. We still give you a branded confirmation and a receipt to download and keep.
Who we are
A private company, never a government agency, and we link every official site rather than hide it.
Are you the government?
No. Venelas is a private company owned by Opaige Inc. It is not a government agency, is not affiliated with any government, and has no part in the decision.
Then why use you?
Because the forms reject people for small things: a name that does not match the passport exactly, a number typed in the wrong format, dates that contradict each other. We check those before anything is submitted, and if it is refused anyway you get your fee back.
If you would rather do it yourself, the official links are below and always will be.
I already paid a lookalike site.
Check on the destination's own site whether an authorisation was actually issued. If it was, it may still be valid. If not, you will need to apply again. Recovering the money is between you and your card issuer.
Not the government. Never pretend.
Every destination runs its own application site. Here they are.