The E-Visa Verification Challenge: IATA Calls for Standardization in Digital Travel

Travelers can now obtain visas online, receive authorization via email, and arrive at the airport without any physical documents. However, at the time of boarding, a critical question remains for airlines: how can they verify that an e-visa is authentic and currently valid?

This issue was highlighted on September 16, 2026, by the International Air Transport Association (IATA). In a publication signed by Harry Grewal, Director of Airports, Infrastructure & Customer Experience, IATA pointed out the disconnect between the ease of issuing e-visas and the complexity of verifying them. While over 100 countries now issue electronic visas, verification methods vary significantly from one nation to another.

For a check-in agent, proof of authorization can take the form of an email, a PDF file, or a QR code. In some cases, agents must consult a government website; in others, they need to connect to a database or perform a manual verification. Consequently, there is still no universal method to quickly verify these authorizations.

Beyond Counter Convenience

The stakes go beyond mere convenience at the check-in counter. Before allowing boarding on an international flight, airlines must ensure that passengers possess the necessary documents to enter their destination country. An error can lead to sanctions and re-routing costs, which IATA estimates at approximately $9,000 per passenger.

“Travelers benefit from the simplicity of e-visa issuance, while airlines bear the complexity of their verification,” explains Grewal.

Digitizing Without Reproducing Fragmentation

The core issue lies less in technology and more in the lack of interoperability between systems. Each state may have digitized its visa procedures according to its own rules, without ensuring that the tools used are designed to work with airline systems. IATA believes the next step must be standardization.

The organization is relying on two mechanisms developed in collaboration with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO):

1. iAPI (Interactive Advance Passenger Information): At check-in, traveler data is electronically transmitted to the authorities of the destination country. These authorities can then verify entry conditions and send a response to the airline. This shifts the verification burden from the check-in agent to the authority competent to decide on the traveler’s admission.
2. ICAO Digital Travel Authorization (DTA): This mechanism aims to provide standardized proof of digital travel authorization, featuring structured data and a 2D barcode with a verifiable digital signature. The goal is to enable automated verification, whether the document is presented on a smartphone or in printed form.

Toward Smoother Controls

These two approaches are complementary. iAPI allows for real-time verification directly with authorities, while the DTA provides a standardized digital proof that can be verified automatically.

ICAO is actively working to enhance this interoperability. Its efforts on the DTA aim to establish a common structure for non-physical travel authorizations and improve their use among states, airlines, and border control authorities.

For travelers, these developments will remain largely invisible. The objective is not necessarily to add a new step to their journey, but to ensure systems work seamlessly in the background. The true challenge is to make digital visas as easy for airlines to verify as they are for travelers to obtain.

In other words, the next stage of visa digitization is no longer just about eliminating paper. It is about making different systems talk to each other.