Three in Four Travelers Get ESTA, UK ETA or eTA Correctly on First Attempt
A Service eVisa Index study found that 76% of travelers complete their electronic travel authorization (ESTA, UK ETA, Canadian eTA) correctly on the first try. Passport information is the most common source of corrections.
A Service eVisa Travel Readiness Index study indicates that 76% of travelers successfully complete their electronic travel authorization on the first attempt. Passport information is identified as the most frequent reason for corrections, with travelers from Singapore being the most accurate.
The study, which analyzed over 10,000 anonymized applications for British ETA, US ESTA, Canadian eTA, NZeTA, and Australian ETA between January 1 and September 1, 2026, measures the proportion of applications that required no amendments. Passport details, including number and dates of issuance or expiry, accounted for 31% of all corrections.
Other common errors included the order of first and middle names (19%), confusion between nationality and passport issuing country (13%), and birth date formatting (9%). Inaccurate information can necessitate reapplication and new fees, particularly under the U.S. ESTA system where each authorization is electronically linked to a specific passport.
Singaporean travelers demonstrated the highest accuracy rate, with 89.4% of their applications being correct on the first attempt. They were followed by travelers from Japan (88.1%), Switzerland (86.7%), Denmark (85.9%), and the Netherlands (84.2%).