iVisa launches Global Policy Tracker to map a year of shifting travel rules

MIAMI, Oct. 19, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- iVisa today launched the Global Policy Tracker, a free, weekly updated record of visa, electronic travel authorization (ETA) and arrival card changes worldwide. Since October 2025, iVisa’s team has documented and verified at least 97 such changes across 61 countries. They include new digital entry forms, fee increases, and at least one system that broke down within days of launch.

The changes come as more people than ever are crossing borders. UN Tourism counted 1.52 billion international tourist arrivals worldwide, almost 60 million more than in 2024, the highest total ever recorded. At the same time, it has also been an important year for travel rules.

A tighter year for even the strongest passports

Independent research shows the same pattern. The Henley Passport Index’s 2026 Global Mobility Report found that both the United States and the United Kingdom recorded their steepest annual losses in visa-free access on record: the U.S. lost seven destinations, and the U.K. lost eight in a single year. Over the past two decades, the U.S. has fallen from 4th to 10th place in the index, and the U.K. from 3rd to 7th. A recent mid-2026 update has put the U.K. back up to 6th after regaining visa-free access to China.

The United States has substantially expanded its own entry restrictions. Congressional Research Service data cited in iVisa’s tracker shows 39 countries now facing a full or partial U.S. travel ban, up from roughly 16 in mid-2025.

Separately, a proposed rule posted by the Department of Homeland Security in December 2025, still pending White House budget office review, would require citizens of all 42 Visa Waiver Program countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan and Australia, to disclose five years of social media history, the email address they have used over the past ten years, and the phone numbers and home addresses of immediate family members.

New system, early growing pains

The U.K.’s own system hasn’t held up under its own weight, either. The UK ETA became mandatory for 85 nationalities in February 2026, and by peak summer travel, a system outage left some travelers facing delays of more than 60 hours plus carrier fines of up to £2,000 per passenger for boarding an ineligible passenger, according to UK Home Office figures.

Digital arrival cards, once rare, are becoming standard practice. iVisa’s tracker now lists at least 16 countries that required one in the past year, including South Korea, Vietnam, Thailand, Malaysia, Taiwan, Cambodia, and Papua New Guinea. Each is a short form, separate from any visa or ETA, that travelers now need to complete in advance.

The European Union has run into the same problem on a larger scale. When its new Entry/Exit System went live across 29 Schengen states in April 2026, an easyJet flight left 122 passengers behind in Milan within days, and by summer some border crossings had wait times of five hours, according to the European Commission. Nine member states asked Brussels to pause the rollout; Brussels declined. The EU has since quietly pushed back its planned €20 ETIAS travel authorization, originally set to launch alongside the Entry/Exit System in late 2026, to sometime in 2027. Without confirming a new date.

Sri Lanka made its pre-departure ETA mandatory on October 15, 2025, then revoked the requirement on October 30. In February 2026, a system disruption delayed approval notices, and Sri Lankan missions told travelers who had already applied that they could fly before receiving approval. The pre-departure ETA has been required again since May 25, 2026.

Did something change since I last traveled?

“Every one of these changes looks small on its own: a new form here, a fee increase there,” said David Perez, Co-Founder and CEO of iVisa. “Add them up over a year, and the pattern is unmistakable: the rules are moving faster than most travelers, or the airlines and agencies serving them, can keep track of. It feels like the right moment to put that pattern in one place because our own customers kept asking the same question: "Did something change since the last time I traveled?" Now there’s somewhere to check.

How the tracker works

The Global Policy Tracker is updated weekly and cites official government or other verified sources for every entry. Travelers can browse changes by country and document type at: https://www.ivisa.com/tools/global-policy-tracker

The tracker is not a complete record of every travel policy change. Coverage currently leans toward high-traffic routes and English-language sources, and will expand as tracking continues. Travelers should always confirm entry requirements with their airline before departure.

About iVisa
iVisa is a leading provider of travel visa and travel document services. Founded in 2013, iVisa has served more than 3 million travelers from 200+ nationalities, with a 99% approval rate and more than 70,000 reviews on Trustpilot. Its platform covers more than 100 destinations and 19,000 nationality and document combinations, with 24/7 support in 14+ languages. On average, a traveler gets their visa or travel document approved with iVisa every 40 seconds. After merging with HelloGov, iVisa customers can also access passport services on the same platform.

Contact:
Annkatrin Siegl
Senior Brand Reputation Specialist
annkatrin.siegl@ivisa.com