Cost traps when applying for electronic entry permits and visas

The majority of such agencies operate entire portals for entry formalities for a large number of countries. However, they have set up separate pages for each destination country in order to rank as high as possible in search engines and to give the impression that they specialise in that particular travel destination. Of course, there are also providers who focus on just one travel destination. In most cases, this is the USA, as this destination attracts the most tourists, with almost a million people travelling to the USA every day.

Electronic travel authorisations (ETAs) are currently available for the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Sri Lanka. For a similar purpose, some of these countries and others have also introduced e-visas, which can also be applied for electronically and are processed more quickly than traditional paper visas: These include Egypt, Turkey, India, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Singapore, Myanmar and Cambodia. Some Caribbean islands have also introduced digital embarkation and disembarkation cards to modernise entry procedures. These are required for the British Virgin Islands, St. Maarten, Dominica and Aruba. The Dominican Republic requires an e-ticket for similar purposes upon entry. However, it is always advisable to double-check which visa is required and which is not. For example, Austrian citizens no longer need a visa for stays in Turkey of up to 90 days.

If you have opened a website for electronic travel registration via a link, check whether you are on the official site with the official prices or whether you have been redirected. Look out for the following clues to determine whether you are dealing with a profit-oriented intermediary or the official government website of the destination country for entry applications:

• Government websites for entry applications are usually operated by immigration authorities under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of the Interior or the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. These government agencies are clearly indicated on the website. Often with a note for visitors that they are on the official website for 0the application.
• No commercial advertising is displayed on government websites.
• Pay attention to the government domain extension.  Such internet addresses are reserved for government websites: .gov for the USA, .ca for Canada, .gov.uk for Great Britain, .gov.au for Australia, .gov.nzt for New Zealand, .gov.in for India, .gov.tr for Turkey etc. Government websites never use the .com extension! Never use the .com extension! Be careful with the .org extension too. This used to be intended for non-commercial websites, but this is no longer the case as it can now be purchased.
• Search engines display paid advertisements from commercial visa dealers above the actual search results. These are discreetly labelled "sponsored" or "advertisement". Although these hits often have the word "official" in the title, they do not lead to government websites. The genuine official government websites for applications can usually be found immediately below the sponsored hits. 
• Hidden price information: If you start the ETA or visa application on a commercial website, it is not easy to find out how much it will cost. This is because commercial sites shy away from comparing costs with the official sites.
• Check the small print at the bottom of the website. Commercial agents offering visa or ETA services must state on their website that it is not the official government website. This is particularly important as they are known to the government authorities and depend on them to accept their customer data. However, these disclaimers are sometimes hidden, e.g. in the legal notice or similar. This is an indication that you have come across a less reputable website.

Completing the ETA via the app has several advantages, which are listed below. Not all points apply to all countries, and some apply to certain entry application apps and not to others. Nevertheless, they offer one thing above all else: clarity. With the official apps, you can be sure that you are not entering your data on a fake or scam website. 

The application for electronic entry authorisation...

• ...is optimised for the app in its input logic.
• ...will be processed more quickly by the authorities via the app.
• ...in some places, for certain passports, this is now only possible via the app.
• ... is cheaper in the app than via the web portal in some countries.
• ...can scan your face in the app. You don't need to take a photo.
• ...enables convenient payment by mobile phone.

In recent years, the European Consumer Centre (ECC) has warned against fraudulent websites that sold visas, ETAs or ESTAs at significantly inflated prices and caused entry problems due to incorrect information and poor processing. This resulted in high financial losses for those affected. Documents issued with errors meant that travellers were left with non-refundable flight tickets. Although such dubious websites may still exist, they hardly ever appear in our case numbers. The web addresses we listed in the past now lead nowhere.

Currently, the problem has shifted: modern cost traps falsely give the impression that obtaining an entry permit is complicated and would take longer without the support of their "experts". However, this is not the case.

Deliberate lack of transparency

Despite the wealth of accurate information on their websites, which give a reputable impression, visa agencies operate in a non-transparent manner. They rely on psychological tricks (so-called 'dark patterns') to conceal the actual costs of their services. With dubious providers, it often remains unclear who you are dealing with and what services are actually being provided. Useful alternatives, such as applying directly via official government websites or apps, are concealed for commercial reasons.

Prices are often not listed at all or are difficult to find. The application process is deliberately very easy to start, while the price information remains hidden. Only on the last page, after uploading the scan of the passport and the photo, is the final price revealed. Those who are unaware of the considerable price differences compared to official channels agree and pay.

Even if the application cannot be forwarded to the authorities due to input errors made by customers, many of these portals' terms and conditions (T&Cs) stipulate that customers are still obliged to pay the processing fee. In contrast, official government portals prevent the submission of incomplete applications and thus unnecessary payments.

The cancellation of an approved entry permit due to personal travel cancellations is possible in some countries with small penalties (but not in all). This is generally not possible with visa agencies.

No added value through intermediaries

Entry applications for ETAs or e-visas are usually evaluated fully automatically by algorithms that compare your information with national and international databases. If any anomalies are found, a manual review is carried out by government authorities, which can lead to delays. Even visa agencies cannot prevent these delays, despite often promising speed and security. Claims that processing through agencies is faster are inaccurate. Most ETA applications (over 95%) are processed within minutes. Approximately 80% of manually reviewed applications are decided within the three-day time limit set by most countries. For example, only countries with a visitor visa refusal rate of less than 3% participate in the US Visa Waiver Programme (VWP), which is the basis for ESTA. The rejection rate for ESTAs therefore tends to be significantly lower. Delays or rejections by government authorities cannot be influenced by commercial visa agencies. The US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has sole decision-making authority for ESTA applications. The situation is very similar for applications to other countries.

After entering data and uploading photos on a commercial agency website, this data is merely forwarded to the government portals . The added value of this service is highly questionable. The additional processing level increases the risk of errors that can lead to invalid entry documents. Many dubious visa agencies exclude any liability for data breaches in their terms and conditions.

Language barrier?

Many entry applications must be completed in English. Those with insufficient English skills who prefer a German-language input form may be tempted to use the services of an agency. However, many travellers are unaware of the considerable additional costs involved. At least Canada and the USA offer German-language online forms. For other countries, it is advisable to seek help from friends if there are language barriers in order to avoid unnecessary costs.

Excessively overpriced

Applying for entry authorisations via commercial websites is always more expensive than applying directly via the official websites or apps of the entry authorities. The price difference is particularly evident in the example of ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation) for entry into the United States.

Established intermediary websites often charge up to five times more for ESTA applications than the official US government portal. Instead of the official fee of 21 US dollars, commercial providers can charge 100 euros or more.

Some examples of excessive processing fees:

• www(.)de(.)usaestavisa(.)com: 112 Euro for ESTA.
• www(.)apply(.)usvisaconnection(.)com: 89 US-Dollar regular, 238 US-Dollar for processing within three hours.
• www(.)form(.)visamundi(.)app: 49 Euro for ESTA
• www(.)visasunited(.)de: 76 Euro for "normal", 96 Euro for "express processing" of the ESTA application.
• www(.)official-canada-eta(.)com: 85 US-Dollar instead of the official £7 for the Canadian eTA.
• www(.)usimmigrationsupport(.)org: 139 US-Dollar for ESTA.
• www(.)evisas(.)travel: 72 US-Dollar for the Australian eVisitor with five days processing time, $79 for "Emergency" (one day) and $99 for "Rush" (12 hours).

The last example is particularly striking, as the Australian eVisitor is free of charge on the official government website and is approved within 48 hours.

Dirty tricks

The approval of ETAs or ESTAs usually takes only a few minutes. Therefore, it is unprofessional for providers to charge express surcharges. These surcharges suggest faster processing, which misleads customers into choosing the more expensive options and thus misleads them twice. In fact, electronic applications are processed at the same speed by the authorities' algorithms or, where applicable, by human reviewers, regardless of the payment option. The authorities have no involvement in whether or not someone has paid an express surcharge on an intermediary portal. Government authorities set official processing times for visas and entry permits, which apply equally to all applicants.
Commercial visa agencies offer additional services such as application review, document compilation, and communication with authorities. These can facilitate the application process, especially for complex visas, but have no influence on the processing time required by the authorities.

The term "consulate fee" is often misused to conceal additional processing fees for ETA or ESTA applications. Since no consulate is involved in the process, this is a misleading term that merely represents a hidden increase in the processing fee.