Verbraucherschützer warnen: Vorsicht vor Abzocke mit Reisegenehmigungen

Verbraucherzentrale Brandenburg warns against being ripped off by scammers offering discounted travel authorizations

Private providers are charging travelers up to four times the official price for travel authorizations such as the UK ETA or US ESTA, warns the Verbraucherzentrale Brandenburg. The consumer center advises against using these cheaper options and applying directly for documents through official government websites. The issue is that search engines often display paid-for pages from private providers at the top of search results, which can be confusing and misleading.

The Verbraucherzentrale urges travelers to look carefully before making a decision. The official UK ETA website is: https://www.gov.uk/eta/apply and the US ESTA website is: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/.

The costs for these authorizations are significantly higher through private providers. For example, the UK ETA currently costs £20 per person, which is nearly €24. Since April 2025, the ETA has been mandatory for all travelers who do not have a visa or residence permit for the country. The Verbraucherzentrale Brandenburg has received numerous reports of travelers being scammed, paying up to 310 euros for three ETA authorizations, compared to the official cost of around 70 euros.

What can you do if you've been scammed? First, demand a refund immediately and save all documents, emails and screenshots of the transaction. Also, contact your bank or credit card provider, as they may be able to reverse the charges in some cases.