The Rise of ETAs: Shaping the Future of Seamless, Secure Border Crossing

In the past decade, Electronic Travel Authorizations (ETAs) have emerged as a transformative force in the modernization of global border management. Designed to screen visa-exempt travelers before arrival, ETAs balance national security, public safety, and traveler convenience. They mark a critical evolution in how countries manage identity, risk, and mobility in the digital age.

What Are ETAs and Why Do They Matter?

An ETA is a digital travel credential granted to pre-approved visa exempt travelers prior to their arrival at the border. The traveler submits personal and biometric information online before travel, and, upon approval, receives electronic authorization —streamlining the entry process at the border. Augmenting traditional visas, ETAs are typically fast, low-cost, and entirely digital. For governments, they enable an earlier, rules-based automated assessment allowing them to grant entry, or deny entry to unwelcome visitors, before they physically arrive at the border. For travelers, they offer faster border crossings and peace of mind that their entry is likely to be granted, before they depart their country of origin.

The global momentum around ETAs is accelerating. Canada, Australia, and the U.S. were early adopters with their respective eTA, ETA, and ESTA systems. The European Union is preparing to launch its own ETA-style program, the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), in 2026. According to EU data, ETIAS will cover travelers from over 60 countries and is expected to process more than 30 million applications annually. The UK has also rolled out its own ETA program.

Biometric Identity at the Core

As ETAs grow in scale, they are increasingly powered by biometric identity verification—particularly face recognition. Remote biometric processing ensures that the person applying for travel is the owner of a valid travel document and the person who arrives at the border, helping reduce fraud, streamline entry, and enhance national security.

Recent advances in AI, liveness detection, and deepfake prevention have made it possible to perform this verification quickly and accurately from a smartphone—no in-person appointments or interviews required. It’s a sea change for both governments and travelers: faster approvals, fewer resources, and a more secure foundation for global mobility.

Trust, Performance, and Privacy

With the expansion of ETAs comes a responsibility to ensure that identity systems are accurate, inclusive, and respectful of personal privacy. These systems must work equally well for people of all ages, genders, and ethnicities—delivering fairness by design. And they must offer strong security against the growing threat of synthetic fraud, from spoofing to deepfakes.

The most successful ETA programs are not just about automation—they’re about trust. Travelers must feel confident that their data is secure, that the system is equitable, and that they will have a seamless experience from approval to arrival.

What Comes Next?

The world is moving toward more digital-first, data-driven border policies, and ETAs are at the heart of this shift. For governments, they offer scalable, proactive security. For travelers, they promise a future of faster, smoother journeys.  They are the first step to more fully automated and biometrically enabled border crossings.

Paravision is well equipped to support this next generation of travel infrastructure in partnership with leaders across the public and private sectors. Their work demonstrates how cutting-edge biometric technologies can enable secure, inclusive, and efficient ETAs. As the global landscape continues to evolve, one thing is clear: the future of border security lies in digital trust, and ETAs are just the beginning.

 

 

 

 

Tony Smith CBE is a former Director of U.K. Border Force, Chairman of IBMATA, Managing Director of Fortinus Global Ltd, and advisor to Paravision on Border Security Programs.