Passports and visas
What you actually need to get in, and the official site for each.
A passport that will not expire too soon, and, for some countries, a visa or an online authorization booked before you fly. This page lays out the real government fees, the current wait times, and Europe's new entry rules for 2026. For every step we send you straight to the official government site, because that is almost always the cheapest and safest route, and we earn nothing sending you there.
Not traveling on a US passport?
This page is written for US citizens. If you hold any other passport, including as a US green card or visa holder, your entry and transit requirements follow your nationality, not the fact that you live in the US, and they can be very different. Check the official page for your destination and your nationality, and see the transit note below if your trip connects through Europe.
The six-month rule
Your passport can be valid and still get you turned away.
Many countries, and the airlines that carry you to them, will not let you in if your passport expires within six months of your travel dates. The rule is set and enforced by the destination and the airline, not by the United States, so a passport that is technically still valid can be refused at check-in. Europe's Schengen area is a common exception in the other direction: it asks for at least three months of validity beyond your planned departure, and that the passport was issued within the last ten years.
The honest move is simple: check your expiry date the moment you start planning, and renew early if it is anywhere close. Each destination's exact requirement is on its official page, and the State Department's travel checklist is the clean starting point.
State Department travel checklist we earn nothing
Renewing a US passport
The real fees, the real wait, and the only site you need.
For a routine US passport there is one official place to go: travel.state.gov. Eligible adults can renew online, and everyone else applies by mail or in person. The fees and the current wait times are below. Private couriers and "renewal" sites cannot make the government faster, and the State Department says so plainly, so the official route is what we point you to.
Government fees
- Adult passport book (renew or new)$130
- Passport card$30
- Book and card together$160
- In-person execution fee$35
- Expedited service (optional)plus $60
- 1 to 3 day return delivery of the book (optional)plus $22.05
The $35 execution fee is charged when you apply in person, not on an eligible renewal by mail or online. Children's passports follow a different process and cost less. These are the government's own fees; confirm the current figures on the State Department fee page before you pay.
How long it takes
- Routine service4 to 6 weeks
- Expedited service2 to 3 weeks
- Mailing time, each wayup to about 2 weeks
- Traveling within 14 daysagency appointment
Those windows count only the time your application sits at a passport agency, so add the mailing time at each end when you plan. If you are traveling within 14 days you can book an appointment at a passport agency and bring proof of travel, and a death or life-threatening emergency in your immediate family has its own same-appointment track. Online renewals cannot be expedited, so they are for routine timing, not an imminent trip.
Apply or renew at travel.state.govwe earn nothing
Racing a deadline? RushMyPassport is a private courier service that can expedite a passport for a fee on top of the government cost. You never need it, and the official route above is cheaper, but if your travel is only days away, some people use one.Expedite with RushMyPassport we may earn a commission
One warning worth repeating: the only official site for online renewal is opr.travel.state.gov. Other sites that promise to "renew your passport online" charge extra on top of the government fee, and some are outright scams. You never need them to use the official route.
Europe in 2026
Two new systems, and only one of them costs you anything.
If you are headed to Europe's Schengen area, two changes are worth understanding before you go. They are easy to mix up, so here is what each one actually is, and what it means for a US traveler on a short trip.
EES is already live
The Entry Exit System started across the Schengen area in April 2026. It records a fingerprint and a photo at the border and replaces the passport stamp. You do not apply for it and you pay nothing: it happens when you arrive. Ireland and Cyprus still stamp passports by hand. Budget extra time at the border: several major airports have run peak queues of two to five hours through summer 2026, and some countries are using EU-permitted pauses to ease them.
ETIAS has no start date
ETIAS is a travel authorization, not a visa. It is not in operation, and it has no launch date: the EU removed its late-2026 target in July 2026 and now says only that it will announce a date several months ahead. When it does start, the fee is 20 euros, with travelers under 18 and over 70 exempt from the fee but still needing the authorization, valid for three years or until your passport expires, for stays up to 90 days in any 180.
What to do about it
Nothing, and be wary of anyone who says otherwise. ETIAS is not open, so there is nothing to buy and no queue to join early. Any site running an ETIAS countdown or selling you an application is working from a date the EU itself has withdrawn. There is also a transitional period of at least six months once it does begin, when you will not be refused entry for not having one. The only official site is on europa.eu, and Frontex has flagged more than a hundred fake ETIAS sites.
Among the countries we cover, the Schengen area includes Austria, Czechia, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. Ireland is in the EU but not in Schengen, so ETIAS will not apply there. The United Kingdom is separate again and already runs its own ETA, which the UK guide covers. Confirm the current list and rules on the official pages before you travel.
Official EES page Official ETIAS page we earn nothing
Do you need a visa?
The only reliable answer is the official one.
Whether you need a visa depends on your destination, your nationality, and how long you are staying, and the rules change often enough that even professionals misread them. So we do not decide your case here. What we do is point you to the authority: for US citizens, the State Department's country information pages are the router, and each of our country guides carries the current entry requirement, dated, with a link to that country's official portal.
As a rough snapshot for US citizens on a tourist trip, checked in July 2026 and always worth confirming on the official page before you fly:
- Apply for an e-visa before you board: Brazil, India and Vietnam each need an online visa arranged in advance, on that country's official portal.
- Visa or visa on arrival: Egypt and Indonesia require a visa, available online or on arrival depending on the country.
- Europe's Schengen area: no visa for a short stay today, and the ETIAS authorization is still unscheduled (see above).
- United Kingdom: an ETA, covered in the UK guide.
- No visa for a short visit: much of Europe, and, as of 2026, Turkey and Thailand for US citizens, though a free arrival form may still apply.
This is a starting point, not a ruling, and it is written for US citizens. Green card holders and other nationalities can face different rules. Always confirm on the official government page for your destination and your passport.
Check entry rules at travel.state.gov we earn nothing
Entry rules, walked through
The country entry authorizations we have stepped through.
For the destinations where the rule recently changed or the official process trips people up, we have written a plain-English walkthrough that points only to the official government route, and shows any paid helper beneath it. Each one lives in that country's guide.
- How much does the Aruba ED Card cost, and do you need a visa?Short answer: no visa, and the form itself is free. What you pay is a 20 dollar sustainability fee, once per calendar year rather than per trip. The reason people end up paying much more is a set of copycat websites that buy ads, outrank the government portal, and charge to file the same free form. Here is what it actually costs, and how to make sure you pay only that.
- How do US citizens get an Australia ETA?Short answer: through the official app, and only the app. US citizens need an Australian ETA, it is cheap and usually instant, but the app-only process trips people up. Here is how it works and what it costs.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Bahrain?Yes, and this is where Bahrain differs from its neighbours. Qatar stamps you in free for 90 days and Oman waives it entirely for two weeks. Bahrain charges.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Brazil?Short answer: yes, and it caught a lot of people out. Brazil brought back a visa for Americans in 2025, it is online only, and there is one official site. Here is the cost, the timing, and how not to overpay.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Cambodia?Yes, and Cambodia breaks the usual rule. Almost everywhere, applying online in advance is the cheaper route. Here it is the dearer one, and the cheaper route wants clean cash and a photo. Here is what each actually costs, and the official place to get it.
- Do US citizens need a visa or eTA for Canada?Short answer: no to both. This is the most common Canada mix-up, US citizens are exempt from the eTA and need no visa. Here is what you actually carry, and the one rule that quietly turns people away at the border.
- Do US citizens need a visa for China?Short answer: yes, for a normal trip, and you apply in advance. The one exception is a transit rule that turns a stopover into a 10-day visit. Here is how each works.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Colombia?Short answer: no visa, but yes to one free online form. US citizens enter Colombia visa-free for up to 90 days; the catch is Check-Mig, which every traveler files before flying. Here is how it works, and how not to overpay for it.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Costa Rica?Short answer: no visa, and no online form. US citizens are stamped in on arrival, now for up to 180 days. The one thing that trips people up is the onward-ticket rule. Here is what actually matters at the border.
- Do I need the E-Ticket for the Dominican Republic?Short answer: yes, and most people miss that you need it twice, once to arrive and once to leave. It is free and takes about ten minutes. Here is the official site and how not to pay for it.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Ecuador?Short answer: no visa for a normal visit, and entry is easy. The costs that catch people are not at the border but on the way to the Galapagos. Here is what you need, and what to budget.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Egypt?Short answer: yes, but it is quick. US citizens need a tourist visa, easiest as an e-visa on one official site before you fly, or bought on arrival. Here is the real fee, the passport rule Egypt enforces strictly, and the free Sinai exception.
- Do you need a visa or a tourist card for El Salvador?The short answer is no to both, and the second half of that is recent enough that most of the internet, including some official pages, still says otherwise.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Georgia?Short answer: no visa, and you can stay a whole year. The catch for 2026 is new and easy to miss: you now have to carry travel insurance to get in. Here is what you need and how to prove it.
- How do US citizens get an India e-visa?Short answer: online, on one official government site, before you travel. US citizens need an India e-Tourist Visa, the process is straightforward, but the search results are full of overpriced middlemen. Here is the real fee and the real site.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Bali and Indonesia?Short answer: yes, a visa on arrival, and Bali adds a small tourist levy on top. US citizens are no longer visa-free here. Here is the real cost, the online version that skips the airport queue, and the extras to sort before you land.
- Do US citizens need a visa or ETIAS for Ireland?Short answer: no visa, and no ETIAS. Ireland sits outside the Schengen Area, so Europe's coming authorization does not touch it. The one wrinkle is Northern Ireland, which is a different country. Here is what actually applies.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Jamaica?Short answer: no visa, but yes to one free online form. US citizens enter Jamaica visa-free; the step you cannot skip is the C5 declaration, which every arriving traveler files. Here is how it works, and how not to overpay for it.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Japan?Short answer: no, for stays up to 90 days, and there is nothing to apply for. Japan is one of the easiest countries for Americans to enter. Here is what you actually need, what Visit Japan Web does, and the change that is coming but is not here yet.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Kuwait?Yes, and it is simple: you buy it at the airport. The State Department publishes the fee and the terms, which makes this one of the easier entry rules in the Gulf to pin down.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Laos?Yes, and the online route is the expensive one. Laos charges roughly ten dollars a person more to apply in advance than to buy the visa at the airport counter, which is the reverse of the usual advice. Here is what each costs, and what the cheaper one wants from you.
- Do I need the FMM tourist card for Mexico, and what is Visitax?Short answer: if you fly in, the tourist card is already in your ticket, so you do nothing separate. The one fee that is genuinely on you is Visitax, but only if you are headed to Cancun or the Riviera Maya. Here is what you actually owe.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Namibia?This one has changed, and a lot of the internet has not caught up. Namibia used to be visa-free for Americans; since April 2025 it is not. Here is what you actually need, and the official place to get it.
- Do US citizens need an NZeTA for New Zealand, and what is the IVL?Short answer: yes, and it is two charges bundled into one. The NZeTA is cheap, but the NZ$100 tourism levy on top is the part that surprises people. Here is the real total, the official app, and how not to overpay.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Oman?Short answer: not for a short trip. Oman waives the visa for US citizens staying 14 days or less, provided you can show a few things at the desk. Stay longer and you apply online in advance.
- Do US citizens need a visa for the Philippines?Short answer: no visa for a normal visit, but there is a free form you must do before you fly, and scam sites try to charge for it. Here is exactly what you need.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Qatar?No, and the terms are better than almost anything you will read online. Qatar upgraded the US allowance in late 2024 and most travel sites never updated their copy.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Saudi Arabia?Yes, and it is the most expensive entry in the Gulf, but it is also the most generous: a year of validity, multiple entries, and medical insurance folded into the price.
- Do US citizens need a K-ETA for South Korea?Short answer: not right now. For US travelers the K-ETA is waived through the end of 2026, but there is a free arrival card you still must file, and the K-ETA comes back in 2027. Here is what you actually need, and when.
- The free Sri Lanka ETA for US citizensSri Lanka made its tourist ETA free for Americans in May 2026, but free does not mean skip it: you still have to get one before you board. Here is how, and how to make sure you are not overcharged by a lookalike site.
- Do I need the Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC)?Short answer: yes, everyone does, and it is free. The TDAC is not a visa, US citizens still get 60 days visa-free, but you must file it online before you fly. Here is how, and how not to pay for something free.
- Do US citizens need a visa for the Bahamas?Short answer: no visa, and no online form to file. US citizens are stamped in on arrival for a generous stay. The one thing to get right is your passport: a book to fly, a card only for cruises. Here is what actually matters.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Turkey?Short answer: no, not any more. Turkey recently dropped the e-visa it used to require from Americans, so US citizens now enter visa-free for up to 90 days. Here is the current rule, and why so much advice online is out of date.
- Do US citizens need a visa for Dubai and the UAE?Short answer: no, nothing to arrange in advance. US citizens get a free visa on arrival, stamped automatically at the airport, covering all seven emirates. Here is what is actually required, and the one detail even recent guides disagree on.
- Do US citizens need an ETA for the UK?Short answer: yes, if your trip crosses the UK border you need one before you fly. The one exception is a pure airside connection at Heathrow or Manchester. The UK ETA is not a visa, and it is quick and cheap, but only from the official source. Here is what it costs and how to get it right.
- How do US citizens get a Vietnam e-visa?Short answer: online, on one official government site, before you travel. US citizens need a visa for Vietnam, the e-visa is the easy route, but search results are full of middlemen charging well above the real fee. Here is the official site and the real cost.
Connecting through Europe
A layover can need its own visa, even if you never leave the airport.
The cheapest ticket to Asia or Africa often routes through a European hub like Frankfurt, Paris or Amsterdam. For most travelers that is nothing to plan around, and US citizens do not need anything for it. But for some nationalities, passing through the international transit area of a Schengen airport, without ever clearing immigration or entering the country, still needs an airport transit visa, the Schengen "Type A". Whether you need one depends on your nationality and on the specific country your layover is in, and countries change their lists quietly, so this is not a thing to answer from memory, ours or anyone's.
Two points are worth knowing before you book a connecting itinerary:
- A US visa or US residence permit often lifts the requirement. If your nationality would otherwise need a transit visa, holding a valid US visa or US green card frequently exempts you, but that exemption varies by the transit country, so confirm it rather than assume it.
- Staying airside is the whole point. A transit visa only lets you wait in the international zone for your next flight. If your connection makes you change airports, collect and re-check a bag, or leave the transit area, you are entering the country and need a regular short-stay Schengen visa instead.
The way to check is simple: look at the official page for the specific Schengen country your layover is in, since that country is the authority for its own airports. The European Commission's visa pages explain the transit visa and link through to each country's process.
Check transit rules at the European Commission we earn nothing
Which nationalities need an airport transit visa
Need help with the paperwork? RushMyTravelVisa is a private service that prepares airport transit visa packets for a fee. It is optional, the official route above is free to check and cheaper to file yourself, and most travelers do not need a transit visa at all.Get transit visa help from RushMyTravelVisa we may earn a commission
Lookalike sites, and how we handle them
Start at the official site, and never overpay.
Start at the government site
For US passports, ETIAS, and most e-visas, unofficial "helper" sites buy their way to the top of search results. The official site is the one that ends in a government domain: travel.state.gov for passports, europa.eu for ETIAS, and each country's own portal for its visa, linked in that country's guide.
Never pay more than the official fee
The government fee is the government fee. A site charging noticeably more is adding its own markup, and a few are built only to take your card details. If a price looks higher than the official one, stop and go back to the source.
We tell you when we earn
Some travelers with complicated cases choose a paid service, and that can be a fair choice. If we point to one, we label it clearly and show the official route first, which is usually cheaper. The only paid links on this page are the passport and visa expediters, each marked "we may earn a commission"; everything else earns us nothing.
Sources, and how this page was checked
Last checkedJul 2026
Changed since last checkFirst published in July 2026, covering US passport fees and current processing times, the six-month passport rule, Europe's EES and the ETIAS authorization, and which destinations need a visa, each linked to its official government source. Updated in July 2026 to add a note for travelers who do not hold a US passport, and a section on airport transit visas for connections through Europe, checked against the European Commission's visa pages. Updated 31 July 2026: the EU removed the last-quarter-of-2026 launch target from its official ETIAS pages, which now state only that ETIAS is not in operation and that a date will be announced several months ahead, so this page no longer quotes a launch date. The EES queue picture through summer 2026 was added at the same time.
- US Department of State, passport feesthe current book, card, execution, expedite and delivery fees
- US Department of State, passport processing timesthe current routine and expedited windows, and how mailing adds to them
- US Department of State, international travel checklistthe six-month validity point and how to check each destination's entry rules
- US Department of State, country information pagesthe official entry, exit and visa requirements for every destination
- European Union, Entry Exit System (EES)the biometric border system, live across the Schengen area since April 2026
- European Union, ETIASthe official page: not in operation, no launch date, plus the fee and rules that will apply
- European Commission, EES and ETIAS explainedthe official summary of how the two differ for travelers
- European Commission, applying for a Schengen visawhat an airport transit visa is, who is exempt, and which consulate handles it
- European Commission, visa policythe nationalities that need a visa just to transit through a Schengen airport, and that countries can add their own
Our own judgmentWhere a rule is set by a foreign government or is still being rolled out, we point you to the official page rather than deciding your case for you. Requirements change and depend on your nationality and your exact trip, so the official source is the one to trust on the day.
Now the money side.
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