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Border rules change on a Tuesday. We write down what changed.

Coverage notes, product releases and the economics of selling travel documentation, written by the people who process the applications.

Coverage alerts

One email when a rule changes on a destination you sell. Not a newsletter.

Coverage changelog

Rule changes, as we covered them.

Requirements update in the API the same day they land here; your integration keeps rendering whatever comes back. Every entry links the note that covers it.

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14 Oct Schengen area Legal congestion valve on EES biometric capture ended 7 September 2026; some states still lightening checks 14 Oct Schengen area ACI EUROPE and A4E published a six-point plan on EES border queues on 12 Oct 2026 14 Oct Kenya Public Health (Ebola Disease) Rules require screening and a health declaration on entry and exit from 12 Oct 2026 14 Oct Russia Vietnamese ordinary passports are visa-free for up to 30 days in Russia from 15 Oct 2026 to 15 Oct 2027 14 Oct Vietnam Resolution 325/NQ-CP pilots visa-free entry for Chinese tour groups to Khanh Hoa via Cam Ranh until 31 Dec 2027 13 Oct Japan JESTA legal basis enacted; applications are not open, outer bound 31 March 2029 12 Oct Schengen area WTTC Europe report and a Visa Code call for evidence; a legislative proposal is expected in Q1 2027 09 Oct Saudi Arabia UK nationals: ETA, e-visa, and waiver are separate products; Hajj needs its own visa 09 Oct Armenia Cabinet cancelled extra e-Visa conditions, including mandatory travel insurance, for India, Iraq and Egypt on 8 Oct 2026 08 Oct Kazakhstan QazETA pilot open for visa-exempt visitors; air-stage date still to confirm 08 Oct South Africa ETA live at four airports and expanding; the date it becomes compulsory per nationality is not published 08 Oct United Kingdom Contactless eGates from 6 Oct 2026, starting at East Midlands for British citizens 08 Oct Suriname Visa required from 1 Oct 2026 for Mexican and Bolivian ordinary passports 08 Oct Tajikistan 30-day visa-free with Iran from 5 Oct 2026, including third-country routes and land crossings 08 Oct Kenya High Court upheld mandatory visitor insurance on 7 Oct 2026; the ETA portal requires cover at a US$44 premium 07 Oct United Kingdom UKVI: carrier auto-checks fail when the passport does not match the eVisa account 07 Oct Schengen area Carrier stamp checks end; from 7 October 2026 the Carrier Interface is the check for single- and double-entry visas 07 Oct Cambodia MFAIC: embassies stop visa stickers from 3 Oct 2026; e-Visa only via evisa.gov.kh 07 Oct Uganda NCIC: yellow fever certificate no longer mandatory for entry (2 Oct 2026 notice) 07 Oct Haiti iKat electronic entry/exit form mandatory from 1 Oct 2026 (MICT/DIE) 06 Oct Schengen area Official ETIAS pages say the system is not in operation and publish no start date 06 Oct Saudi Arabia Kosovo and Guyana added to the tourist e-Visa and visa on arrival 06 Oct Montenegro Visa required from 1 November 2026 for ordinary passports from Russia, Belarus and Türkiye 05 Oct Turkmenistan e-Visa portal live from 1 October 2026; tourist e-TU lists no mandatory invitation 05 Oct United States Routine admission stamps end at primary inspection; the electronic I-94 is the record 05 Oct United States ESTA authorization fee rises from $40.27 to $40.62 on 16 October 2026 03 Oct Mainland Tanzania Inbound travel insurance is an entry control from 1 October 2026; the Mainland eVisa does not collect it 02 Oct Schengen area Carrier Interface checks in force for single- and double-entry Schengen visas 02 Oct India Portal lists Transfer of eVisa/ETA on New Passport; two-passport entry rule remains on the FAQ 01 Oct Schengen area Carriers keep verifying passport stamps until 6 October 2026 inclusive 30 Sep New Zealand Paper visitor and transit visas end; Immigration Online only from 1 Oct 2026 10 Aug Schengen area ETIAS start window moved again; the grace period does most of the work 04 Aug Vietnam E-visa validity window extended; the declared entry date still anchors it 18 Jul India E-visa processing back in the normal range after a two-week slowdown