The International Air Transport Association has published new best-practice guidance for verifying digital travel authorisations, addressing a gap between the growing use of eVisas and airlines’ ability to confirm their authenticity at check-in.
Verification gap creates cost exposure for airlines
Airlines are required to confirm a passenger holds valid entry documents before boarding an international flight, with incorrect verification exposing carriers to fines and removal costs averaging $9,000 per passenger. According to IATA director of airports, infrastructure and customer experience Harry Grewal, proof of an eVisa can take multiple forms, including an email, PDF, QR code, website query or direct government database connection, with no standard approach currently in place across the more than 100 countries issuing eVisas.
IATA’s Control Authorities Working Group has published Non-Physical Authorizations to Travel: Best Practices for Issuers and Verifiers (2026), building on existing work by ICAO, centred on two mechanisms. Interactive Advance Passenger Information (iAPI) allows airlines to send passenger details electronically to a destination government during check-in and receive a real-time confirmation of eligibility. Grewal said documentation compliance rates were up to 20 times higher for countries with comprehensive iAPI systems compared with manual checks, though fewer than 30 countries currently operate them.
ICAO Digital Travel Authorization standardises proof format
The second mechanism, the ICAO Digital Travel Authorization (DTA), provides standardised, digitally signed proof that an electronic authorisation has been issued, replacing inconsistent country-by-country confirmation formats. The two systems can work together, with iAPI enabling real-time verification and DTA providing standardised proof when an iAPI check is unavailable.
Grewal said governments could take interim steps ahead of wider adoption, including aligning existing visa confirmations with international standards and involving airlines before launching new digital visa programs, without affecting a government’s authority over entry requirements or immigration policy.
For travel advisors and agents booking international itineraries with eVisa requirements, the standardisation push points to a gradual improvement in document verification reliability at check-in, though widespread adoption is expected to take time given the number of countries and systems involved.
