Travel Visa Checker

Pick your nationality and your destination and the checker returns one of five outcomes: visa-free, visa-on-arrival, e-visa, ETA / ESTA / similar electronic authorisation, or full embassy visa required. UK passport holders are visa-free in 188 countries in 2026, including all of Schengen (90 days in any 180), the US (90 days under the Visa Waiver Programme but ESTA required), Japan (90), Thailand (60 from July 2024), and Australia (eVisitor, free, online).

The checker covers 30+ destination-nationality pairs with the standard short-stay tourist rules. It does not cover business, student, work or transit categories - those have separate visa classes everywhere. Stay durations shown (90 days, 180 days, etc.) are the maximum length of a single visit, not an annual cap. In Schengen the rule is 90 days in any rolling 180-day period across the whole zone, not 90 per country. Overstay even by one day and the next entry can be refused.

Three big changes since 2024: ETIAS (the EU's pre-travel authorisation, €7, valid 3 years, applies to UK and other visa-exempt nationals when it launches in late 2026), the UK ETA (£10 from January 2025, applies to most non-British and non-Irish visitors), and the US ESTA (still $21 for VWP nationals, valid 2 years). These are not visas; they are pre-screening that lets the airline confirm you can board. Apply at least 72 hours before travel; airlines will not let you board without one if your nationality requires it.

Common gotcha: dual nationals. If you hold both an Irish and British passport, travel on Irish to enter the EU and skip ETIAS entirely. If you hold both US and Canadian, travel on Canadian to skip ESTA. The destination's rules apply to the passport you actually present at check-in and immigration. Always carry the passport you applied for the ETA / visa with - immigration will refuse entry if your name on the e-visa does not match exactly.

Visa-on-arrival means you queue at immigration on landing, fill in a form, pay (Thailand THB 2,000 cash, Egypt $25, Indonesia IDR 500,000) and get a stamp. Lines can take 30-90 minutes at busy airports. E-visa means you apply online days or weeks ahead, pay by card, get a PDF emailed back, and skip the queue (or use the e-visa fast-track lane). Vietnam, Turkey, India and Egypt all offer e-visas now in 2026; Thailand still uses visa-on-arrival for short stays from countries that do not have the bilateral 60-day visa exemption.

If a country offers both an e-visa and visa-on-arrival for your nationality, always choose the e-visa unless you are arriving by land border where it may not be accepted. India's e-visa is the most paperwork-heavy: passport scan, photo, employment details, addresses for the past two years, and £24-£60 depending on duration. Turkey's is fastest: 5 minutes online, $20-$50 by nationality. Pair this with the [Travel Budget Calculator](/travel-budget-calculator) so the visa fee is in your trip total, not a surprise at the airport.

Most countries require 6 months of validity beyond your intended date of departure. The Schengen area officially says 3 months, but airlines often refuse to board you with under 6 months as a safety margin. The US, China, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand and most of South-East Asia enforce 6 months strictly. Renew your passport if it expires inside 9 months from any planned trip; the UK fast-track 1-week service costs £142 in 2026, the standard 3-week costs £88.50.

Blank pages: the US needs at least one, China two, India two, Egypt one. If your passport is filling up (visas, stamps, residence permits) check before booking long trips - immigration can refuse entry on insufficient blank pages even with valid visas. Some countries allow ESTA / ETA in lieu of a visa stamp and so use less paper. The first thing to do at home before any international trip is check your passport's expiry, blank pages and any stamps or residence stickers from previous travel that may complicate entry.