Travelers face fees up to 30 times higher on unofficial ETA sites

  • Korea Consumer Agency recorded 51 electronic travel authorization complaints through July.
  • Private agencies appeared in 35 complaints, while excessive fees affected 30 cases.
  • Canada’s 7 Canadian-dollar eTA fee reached $159 on some agency websites.

Travelers seeking electronic travel authorizations for destinations including the United States, Canada and Australia are being misled by private agency websites that can resemble official government portals. The Korea Consumer Agency said its 1372 Consumer Counseling Center received 51 related complaints between 2024 and July of this year, including 35 cases involving private agencies. Excessive fees accounted for 30 complaints, while three consumers paid without receiving an authorization. Government fees range from free to $40.27, but private agencies charged $21 to $176. Canada’s official eTA fee is 7 Canadian dollars, or about 7,500 won, while some agencies charged as much as $159, or roughly 230,000 won. The agency urged travelers to apply through official government websites, check the domain and final price before paying, allow enough time before departure, and seek a card chargeback if an authorization is not issued as promised.

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