Industry & Tourism

Europe's ETIAS Slips, UK ETA Hits £20, US ESTA Doubles to $40: The 2026 Entry-Rule Changes

A wave of new digital paperwork and higher fees hit travellers in 2026 — Europe’s biometric EES is live, the UK ETA is now £20 and US ESTA jumped to…

By Laxman Rawal · Aug 13, 2026

Read the full story

Getting into the world's most-visited countries is about to cost more and take an extra step. Through 2026 a wave of new digital paperwork and higher fees has landed on ordinary tourists: the European Union's biometric Entry/Exit System (EES) is now fully…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Europe: the stamp is gone, EES is watching

The biggest structural change is Europe's Entry/Exit System , which became fully operational across all 29 Schengen countries on 10 April 2026 after a phased six-month rollout. On your first crossing you register four fingerprints and a facial image; the…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

ETIAS: coming, but not yet

ETIAS — the European Travel Information and Authorisation System — is the pre-travel permit that visa-exempt travellers will one day need before flying to 30 European countries. It will cost €20 (free for under-18s and over-70s), take about ten minutes…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

United Kingdom: ETA now £20

Britain's Electronic Travel Authorisation is now fully rolled out and, since 8 April 2026, costs £20 (up from £16). Nationals of around 84 visa-exempt countries — including the US, the EU, Australia and Canada — need one to visit the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

United States: ESTA up, a bigger fee looms

For Visa Waiver Program travellers, the ESTA fee rose from $21 to $40 for any application filed on or after 30 September 2025, under the 2025 budget law; Customs and Border Protection lists it at $40.27 after a January 2026 inflation adjustment. ESTA remains…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

The other direction: more digital-nomad visas

Friction runs one way for tourists, but the opposite way for remote workers. More than 60 countries now issue some form of digital-nomad or remote-work visa. Italy's remote-worker visa (minimum income around €24,789 a year) opens a renewable one-year…

Travel Himalaya Nepal · News

Plan your trek

Everest Base Camp Trek — 14 Days

NMA-certified guides · permits sorted · 5,000+ treks since 1998.

$1850 pp

Plan this trek

Free guide

Get the free Nepal Trek Insider Guide

Permits, costs, seasons and routes — the essentials we send every traveller, plus a free, no-obligation trip quote.

↑ Swipe up

Your free Nepal trek kit

Read the full report and grab the free Nepal Trek Insider Guide — or ask our Pokhara team for a tailored, no-obligation quote.

Read more & get the free guide Plan my trip — free quote Browse Everest Base Camp Trek — 14 Days