# Do I Need a Visa? Check Entry Requirements for Your Passport Before You Book ## The award seat is the easy part. Getting into the country is another matter. You can spend months collecting points and still get turned away at check-in because you're missing a visa or an online travel authorization. Airlines check your documents before you board, and if something's missing, you don't fly. It gets more complicated with award travel. Award routings often connect through hubs you'd never pick on a cash ticket, include stopovers in a second country, and put travelers with different passports on the same booking. Each of those can change what paperwork you need. **Do I Need a Visa?** gives you a fast first answer. Pick your passport and a destination, and you'll see the entry requirement and how long you can typically stay. The tool covers **214 passports and travel documents** and nearly **250 destinations**, including territories. > **Always confirm with the official government source before you > travel.** Entry rules change, sometimes with little notice, and they > can depend on details this tool doesn't know about you. Use it to > plan, then check the destination's official immigration or embassy > website before you book and again before you fly. --- ## How to use Do I Need a Visa? 1. **Select your passport.** Search by country name. If you hold two passports, check both, since one may get you in more easily. 2. **Browse by requirement.** Before you pick a destination, the tool groups every destination by entry requirement and shows a count for each, such as Visa Free, Electronic Travel Authorization or Visa Required. Click a group to see every destination in it, with the maximum stay for each. 3. **Select a destination.** You'll see the requirement for your passport, the maximum stay as a tourist, and a short checklist of things to sort out before you go. 4. **Reset and repeat for every stop.** On a multi-city or stopover itinerary, check each country you'll actually enter, and check each traveler's passport separately. --- ## What each entry requirement means | Requirement | What it means | What to do before you fly | | --- | --- | --- | | Visa Free | You can enter as a visitor without applying for anything in advance | Bring a valid passport and be ready to show onward travel | | Freedom of Movement | You can enter freely under a regional agreement (EU, GCC, MERCOSUR, OECS and others) | Carry your passport or national ID as required | | Electronic Travel Authorization | No visa, but you must get an online approval before you board | Apply on the official site, ideally well before you book | | E-visa | A visa you apply for and receive online | Apply in advance and allow time for processing | | Visa on Arrival | You get the visa at the airport or border | Check the fee, payment methods and documents needed | | Visa on Arrival / E-visa | You can choose either option | Getting the e-visa first usually means a quicker arrival | | Visa Required | You need a visa from an embassy or consulate before travel | Apply early, as processing can take weeks | You'll occasionally see a few special cases too: **Simplified Visa**, **Special Permit / Police Check**, **Permit Required** and **Confirmation Required**. These apply to a small number of destinations with unusual entry processes, such as restricted territories. If you see one, go straight to the official source for that destination. **Stay duration** is shown for visa-free, ETA, e-visa and visa on arrival destinations. Stays under a month show in days. Longer stays are rounded down to whole months, so 90 days appears as 3 months. For freedom of movement and visa-required destinations, the stay shows as N/A because it depends on your residence rights or the visa you're issued. --- ## Worked example: one award trip, two passports Say you and your partner are booking a oneworld award from New York to Tokyo with a few days in London on the way. One of you holds a US passport and the other an Indian passport (living in the US). Here's what the tool shows: | Stop | US passport | Indian passport | | --- | --- | --- | | United Kingdom (stopover) | Electronic Travel Authorization, up to 6 months | Visa Required | | Japan | Visa Free, up to 3 months | Visa Required | Same seats, same flights, very different prep: - The **US passport holder** needs one thing: a UK ETA, which costs £20 and is applied for online through GOV.UK. Every traveler needs their own, including children. Japan needs nothing in advance. - The **Indian passport holder** needs two visas arranged before travel: a UK visitor visa for the London stopover and a visa for Japan. If the UK visa is the sticking point, you have options. Search [Routes](/tools/route-finder) and you'll find nonstop flights from New York (JFK) to Tokyo Haneda on Japan Airlines, ANA and American, which skip the UK entirely. Then compare the miles for each option in the [Award Flight Pricer](/award-charts). Dropping the stopover can remove a visa application and sometimes lower the price. Be careful with "just connecting" too. Changing planes in London without a stopover isn't automatically visa-free for everyone. Some nationalities, including Indian citizens, need a UK Direct Airside Transit Visa unless they qualify for an exemption, such as holding certain valid US or Canadian documents. Check GOV.UK for your exact situation. --- ## How entry rules affect award routing **A stopover means you're entering the country.** Many award programs let you add a stopover, and some airlines run stopover programs through their hubs. The moment you leave the airport, the destination's full entry rules apply. Check the stopover country, not just your final destination. **Connections have their own rules.** Transit rules are separate from entry rules, and they vary a lot: - **United States:** There's no airside transit. Every international traveler clears US immigration, so you need an ESTA or a visa even if you're only changing planes. - **Canada:** Travelers from eTA-required countries need an eTA to connect through a Canadian airport, even without leaving it. US citizens are exempt. - **United Kingdom:** Travelers who stay airside at Heathrow or Manchester currently don't need an ETA, but this exemption is temporary. If you pass through UK border control, for example to change airports or collect bags, you need one. **Separate tickets mean full entry.** If your trip is on two separate tickets, such as a positioning flight plus an award, you'll often have to collect your bags and check in again. That means clearing immigration in the connecting country, so its entry rules apply. The same goes for changing airports in cities like London, Paris or Tokyo. (Separate tickets can also cost you in bag fees: see the [Baggage Fee Lookup](/tools/airline-baggage-fees).) **Mixed-passport families should plan around the strictest passport.** A routing that's effortless for one traveler can require a visa for another. Check every passport on the booking before you transfer points. **Get documents sorted before you transfer.** Points transfers are usually instant and can't be reversed. If a visa takes weeks, apply first or make sure your award can be changed or cancelled. Our [Award Booking Guide](/tools/award-booking-guide) helps you time the booking itself. --- ## Europe in 2026: EES is live, ETIAS isn't yet Two European systems cause a lot of confusion for travelers from visa-free countries like the US, Canada, the UK and Australia. **The Entry/Exit System (EES) has been fully operational since April 10, 2026.** It replaces passport stamps at the Schengen area's external borders. On your first entry, your fingerprints and a photo are recorded at the border. There's nothing to apply for in advance, but the first registration can add time at passport control. **ETIAS is not in operation yet.** ETIAS will be an online travel authorization for visa-exempt visitors to Europe, similar to the US ESTA. As of October 2026, it still has no confirmed start date. Until it launches, you don't need to apply for anything, and any site charging you for an ETIAS today isn't the real thing. Check the [official EU travel site](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en) for updates. **The 90/180 rule covers the whole Schengen area.** Visa-free visitors can generally stay 90 days in any 180-day period across all Schengen countries combined, not 90 days in each country. On a long European trip with several award stops, count your days carefully. --- ## How passports compare in our data Adding up the Visa Free and Freedom of Movement categories for each passport in the tool's dataset gives a sense of how much prep different travelers need: | Passport | Visa-free or free movement | ETA needed | Visa required | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | Singapore | 165 | 16 | 19 | | Germany | 154 | 19 | 15 | | Canada | 149 | 14 | 20 | | United Kingdom | 148 | 19 | 20 | | Japan | 148 | 19 | 17 | | United States | 145 | 13 | 20 | | Mexico | 130 | 11 | 36 | | India | 38 | 10 | 117 | Counts include territories as well as countries. The remaining destinations for each passport mostly offer an e-visa or visa on arrival. Singapore has the most visa-free access of any passport in the dataset. --- ## What Do I Need a Visa? doesn't cover Being clear about the limits matters more here than for almost any other travel tool: - **It's a planning tool, not legal advice.** Rules change and the data is a snapshot, not a live feed from governments. Always confirm with the destination's official government website, and for US citizens, the State Department's country pages, before you travel. - **Tourist visits only.** Results assume a short tourist or visitor stay. Work, study, business and long stays have different rules. - **No transit rules.** The tool shows entry requirements. Airside transit rules, transit visas and transit-without-visa programs (China, for example, offers visa-free transit to many nationalities) aren't covered. - **No conditional exemptions.** Some countries waive or ease visa rules if you hold a visa or residence permit from another country, such as the US, UK or Schengen area. The tool shows the standard rule for your passport. - **No fees, processing times or passport validity checks.** Many countries require your passport to be valid for six months beyond your trip. Schengen countries require at least three months beyond your departure date. Check the exact rule for your destination. --- ## Frequently asked questions ### Do I need a visa for a layover? It depends on the country and where you connect. In the US, every traveler clears immigration, so you need an ESTA or visa even to change planes. Canada requires an eTA for most visa-exempt travelers in transit. In the UK, airside transit at Heathrow and Manchester currently doesn't need an ETA, but some nationalities need a transit visa. If you leave the airport or change airports, the full entry rules apply. ### What is an ETA and how is it different from a visa? An Electronic Travel Authorization is a pre-travel approval for visitors who don't need a visa. You apply online and it's linked electronically to your passport. Examples include the UK ETA, the US ESTA, Canada's eTA, Australia's ETA and New Zealand's NZeTA. A visa is usually a fuller application, sometimes with an interview or a visit to a consulate. ### Do Americans need an ETA for the UK? Yes. US citizens, and visitors from most other visa-free countries, need a UK ETA to visit. It costs £20, lets you visit for up to six months at a time, and every traveler needs their own, including children. Apply only through GOV.UK, since look-alike sites charge more. ### Do I need ETIAS to visit Europe? Not yet. As of October 2026, ETIAS isn't in operation and has no confirmed start date. Visa-free visitors don't need to apply for anything in advance, but you will be registered in the EES at the border on your first entry. ### Do US citizens need a K-ETA for South Korea? Not for now. South Korea extended its temporary K-ETA exemption for US citizens and several other nationalities through December 31, 2026. Check Korea's official K-ETA site for what applies after that date. ### What's the difference between visa-free and visa on arrival? Visa-free means you just show your passport at immigration. Visa on arrival means you get a visa at the airport, which usually involves a form, a fee and sometimes a queue. If an e-visa is also offered, it's often quicker to get that before you fly. ### How long can I stay without a visa? It depends on your passport and destination. Ninety days is common, but stays range from a few days to a year or more. The tool shows the maximum tourist stay for each destination. In the Schengen area, the 90-day limit applies across all member countries combined. ### Does a stopover on an award ticket count as entering the country? Yes. If you leave the airport during a stopover, you need to meet that country's entry requirements, just like any other visitor. Check every stopover country in the tool as well as your final destination. ### How up to date is this visa data? The tool uses a fixed dataset covering 214 passports, not a live government feed. Requirements can change at any time, so treat the results as a starting point and confirm with the official government source before booking and again before you travel. --- ## The bottom line Visa and ETA rules can decide whether an award itinerary actually works, especially with stopovers, unusual connections or travelers on different passports. Check every stop and every passport here first. Then use [Routes](/tools/route-finder) to find a routing that avoids unnecessary paperwork, the [Award Flight Pricer](/award-charts) to price it, and the official government website to confirm before you fly. --- Source: https://awardhack.com/tools/visa-checker | Updated 2026-10-13