The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will soon apply to millions of international visitors.
The UK has just launched its new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) permit for non-EU travellers.
The new requirements mean tourists will have to gain permission to enter the country as part of plans to fully digitise its borders by 2025.
The UK opened pre-travel applications to all eligible non-Europeans on 27 November. The permit will be required for these travellers from 8 January.
This includes six million citizens from the US, Canada and Australia.
The Home Office began rolling out the scheme last November for nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Dates have also been announced for the roll out of the scheme for Europeans.
When will EU travellers need to apply for an ETA to visit the UK?
Visitors from Qatar were the first to be able to apply for the UK’s new ETA scheme, starting on 15 November 2023.
Visitors from the Gulf Cooperation Council states and Jordan were the next group from February 2024.
Previously, nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates could apply for a single-use Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) instead of a visa to enter the UK. This cost £30 (€34.30) and was valid for up to six months.
The ETA scheme has now entirely replaced the EVW scheme, offering a lower cost option with multi-entry validity, according to the UK government.
The ETA has now opened up to all other nationalities, except European citizens, and is required for entry from 8 January 2025. You can find the full list of countries here.
Europeans, meanwhile, will be required to have an ETA for travel from 2 April 2025, with applications opening up on 5 March.
How do I apply for an ETA to enter the UK?
Once the scheme applies to your country, you will need to fill in an online application form that will grant you permission to enter the UK.
Most visitors will be able to apply using a mobile app with a swift decision on their application, according to the government. Everyone travelling needs to apply including babies and children but you can apply for other people.
You’ll need a valid biometric passport from an eligible country that you will be travelling with, an email address and a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. You will also have to answer a set of suitability questions. You don’t need to enter your travel details.
Like the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) in the US, a small fee is attached to the application process. This will be set at £10 (€11.66).
Travellers are advised to apply at least a few days before their planned journey and approval should be granted within 72 hours.
Will I need a visa to enter the UK?
The ETA isn’t a visa but it does grant permission to enter the country.
All visitors who currently don’t have to apply for a visa will need to get an ETA before they travel. This includes those who do not currently need to submit any form of application to visit the UK. US, Canadian, Australian and European citizens for example will require an ETA even for short stays.
If you don’t apply before your trip, you could be fined.
Travellers from countries that don’t have visa-free entry agreements with the UK will still have to apply for the correct visa and an ETA.
Your ETA will allow you to stay for up to six months and is valid for 2 years. This means you won’t have to apply for new permission to travel if you visit the UK again within the valid time period unless. You will need to get a new ETA if you get a new passport.
You still need to apply if you are transiting through the UK even if you aren’t going through border control.
The ETA allows you to come to the UK for six months for tourism, visits to family and friends, business or short term study.
You can also get an ETA instead of a visa if you are coming to the UK for up to 3 months on the Creative Worker visa concession or coming to the UK for a permitted paid engagement. Outside of these conditions you can’t use an ETA to do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person.
British and Irish citizens, people who already have a visa or permission to live, work or study in the UK, those travelling with a British overseas territories citizen passport and people who live in Ireland and are travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man don’t need to apply for an ETA.
Why is the UK introducing the ETA scheme?
The ETA is part of the UK’s plan to digitise its borders at UK airports by the end of 2025.
Some passengers may be able to enter the country without using an electronic passport gate or speaking to a Border Force officer. Instead, they will likely have to upload a photo of themselves and submit it to the Home Office before they travel.
The scheme is intended to reduce queues at the border, “helping to speed up legitimate journeys to the UK”.
Facial recognition technology could be used to make these “contactless corridors” possible, British newspaper The Times reports. It would require international travellers to submit biographic and biometric details, like photos of their faces through the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme before they fly.
