Study: Three in Four Travelers Complete Travel Authorizations Correctly on First Attempt
A new Service eVisa index found that 76% of travelers submit electronic travel authorizations without errors on their first try. Passport details are the most frequent cause of corrections.
A majority of travelers, 76%, successfully complete electronic travel authorizations like the U.S. ESTA or UK ETA on their initial attempt, according to the new Service eVisa Travel Readiness Index. The findings are based on over 10,000 anonymized applications for Canada's eTA, Australia's ETA, New Zealand's NZeTA, the U.S. ESTA, and the UK ETA, submitted between January and September 2026.
The study identified passport details—such as the number, issue, or expiry date—as the most common source of errors, accounting for 31% of all corrections. Other frequent mistakes included issues with name order (19%), confusion between nationality and passport issuing country (13%), and incorrect date formats for birthdates (9%).
Errors in these authorizations can necessitate new applications and additional fees. Service eVisa highlights that accuracy is critical, as each authorization is electronically linked to a specific passport. For instance, the U.S. ESTA system requires a new application and fee for incorrect biographical information.
Travelers from Singapore demonstrated the highest accuracy, completing all details correctly in 89.4% of cases, followed by those from Japan (88.1%) and Switzerland (86.7%). Service eVisa advises travelers to copy their details directly from their passport and ensure the exact order of names to avoid common mistakes.