What are entry permission types?

What do the five entry permission types mean?

Visa-free entry. A visa-free traveller needs no visa in advance because the destination has decided that nationals of that country may enter without one. In the Schengen area, the countries whose nationals do not require a visa are listed in Annex II of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, and 27 of those countries have visa waiver agreements with the EU [4]. The status is a policy decision rather than a permanent fact: the EU says the decision whether to grant visa-free status is based on criteria including migration, security, human rights, reciprocity and economic benefit, particularly tourism and foreign trade [4].

Visa. A visa is a permission to enter that a traveller obtains from the destination's authorities under that destination's visa rules. For the Schengen area, non-EU nationals need a visa to enter for a visit of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and the EU visa code sets out the procedures and conditions for issuing short-stay visas [4].

Electronic visa (eVisa). An electronic visa is a visa applied for and issued through an online system rather than as a physical sticker in a passport. The European Commission describes its visa digitalisation plans as replacing the visa sticker with a digital visa, with applicants carrying out all steps on the EU's standard online platform except providing biometrics where required, after a transition period of seven years [4]. The digital format changes how the permission is applied for and issued, not which category it belongs to.

Electronic travel authorisation (ETA). An ETA is a pre-travel online authorisation for travellers who are exempt from holding a visa. The European Commission says visa-exempt travellers will need to fill out an online ETIAS form and pay a small fee before travelling to the Schengen Area, six months after the full implementation of the Entry/Exit System (EES), and that the form is designed to facilitate border control and security [4]. The UK runs its own electronic travel authorisation: GOV.UK says that depending on nationality a traveller may need to get an ETA [1]. Canada's eTA sits alongside its visitor visa, and Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada tells travellers to check which of the two they need [3].

Visa on arrival. A visa on arrival is a visa granted at the border when the traveller arrives, rather than applied for in advance. Because the permission is decided at the point of entry, the traveller reaches the border without having been issued the visa beforehand, which distinguishes it from a visa obtained from a consulate or an online application system.

How do you check which entry permission applies to you?

The answer depends on both passport and destination, so each destination publishes its own check. GOV.UK's visa service starts from the proposition that a visitor may need a visa for the UK, and flags the ETA as the alternative for some nationalities [1]. Canada's Visit Canada page asks a few questions and then tells the traveller what they need to travel to Canada: an electronic travel authorization (eTA) or a visa [3]. The same Canadian site separates its guidance into a visitor visa, an eTA, transit visas for passing through Canada by air, super visas for visiting children or grandchildren for up to five years, and business visitors [3].

For the Schengen area the check runs through the annexes of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806: Annex I lists the countries whose nationals require a visa and Annex II lists those whose nationals do not [4].

Exceptions and limits

• One visa, a capped stay. A Schengen visa is generally valid for every country in the Schengen area, but the 180-day period starts when someone enters a country in the Schengen area, and they can enter as many times as they want while staying a total of only 90 days every 180 days [4]. Visas for stays exceeding 90 days are subject to national procedures [4].
• Airport transit. Nationals of certain countries must hold an airport transit visa even to pass through the international, non-Schengen part of an EU airport, and Schengen countries can impose individual airport transit requirements on certain other countries [4].
• Waivers by category, not only by nationality. Individual Schengen countries can grant visa-free access to certain categories of people, such as diplomatic staff, armed forces, refugees and school pupils on an excursion [4].
• Visa-free travel can be suspended. Article 8 of Regulation (EU) 2018/1806, as amended by Regulation (EU) 2025/2441, sets out a suspension mechanism, with an initial suspension of up to 12 months and a possible extension of a further 24 months [4]. The visa waiver agreement with Vanuatu is currently suspended, and the European Commission has suspended visa-free travel for Georgian holders of diplomatic, service and official passports from 6 March 2026 until 6 March 2027 [4].
• Facilitation is not exemption. Under visa facilitation agreements, non-EU citizens enjoy facilitated procedures such as lower visa fees for a Schengen visa; the agreements with Russia (full suspension) and Belarus (partial suspension) are currently suspended, so the general rules of the EU visa code apply instead [4].
• Extending a stay is a separate permission. Canada handles this with a visitor record, which extends a stay as a visitor and is described separately from the visa or eTA needed to travel there [3].

Frequently asked questions

Is an ETA the same as a visa?

No. The European Commission describes the ETIAS form that visa-exempt travellers will need for the Schengen Area as not a visa, though it compares it to the United States' ESTA, Canada's eTA and Australia's eVisitor [4].

Does a Schengen visa allow a stay longer than 90 days?

The visa covers a visit of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and stays beyond 90 days are subject to national procedures rather than the Schengen short-stay rules [4].

Can a country require a visa just to change planes?

Yes. Nationals of certain countries must have an airport transit visa even to transit through the international part of an EU airport, and individual Schengen countries can add their own airport transit requirements [4].

Can visa-free access be taken away?

Yes. The EU's suspension mechanism allows visa-free travel to be suspended temporarily, and the waiver agreement with Vanuatu is currently suspended [4].

Related pages

Authorisation schemes: UK ETA, Canada eTA, ETIAS for the Schengen area, ESTA for the United States. Terms: onward ticket requirement, all glossary terms.

Sources

Sources checked on 18 October 2026. National visa-on-arrival schemes are not covered here, and the rules of the United States' ESTA and Australia's eVisitor are not described; the linked pages cover the UK, Canada and Schengen systems.

1. GOV.UK, Check if you need a UK visa (UK Home Office), checked 18 October 2026
2. Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, Visit Canada, checked 18 October 2026
3. European Commission, Visa policy (Schengen borders and visa), checked 18 October 2026