Perk has launched a new workflow that lets travelers begin the application process and pay for electronic visas and travel authorizations within its platform, the company announced.
Earlier this year, Perk launched Entry Ready, which analyzes trips and stored passport profiles to show travelers visa requirements before they make a booking. Now, travelers also can apply for eVisas and ETAs when they check out and pay associated fees, which includes the cost as part of the total cost of trip to finance teams, the company said.
The feature comes via a partnership with Sherpa, which uses AI and more than 350 government relationships to provide updated entry requirements.
Perk said that applications processed through Sherpa are processed 20 percent faster than applying directly through government portals.
Alongside its announcement, Perk published research, based on a survey of 8,000 business travelers conducted by Censuswide between April 15 and 28, that showed visa issues are commonplace among business travelers. Just over 40 percent of respondents said they had applied for a visa or ETA in the past 12 months, and about half of that group reported issues with the process. Forty-seven percent said that had to pay to expedite the process, and more than a third said they experienced project delays because of those problems.