UK implements changes to travel entry policies

• The UK government has introduced the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) scheme.
• Eligibility for the ETA depends on nationality, and suitable travelers can apply using the UK ETA app.
• The scheme will extend to eligible Europeans, who will require an ETA from April 2, 2025.

This week, the UK government announced an overhaul of non-visa entry requirements for visitors starting next year. The new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) scheme, similar to the ESTA system in the United States, will require all visa-free visitors to obtain an ETA from April 2, 2025, according to the Interior Ministry.

“Everyone wishing to travel to the UK — except British and Irish citizens — will need permission to travel before coming here.”

“This can be either through an ETA or an eVisa,” the Home Office said in a statement.

The ETA is a digital travel permit linked to the traveler’s passport. It applies to those entering or transiting the UK without a visa or legal residence rights. The permit costs £10 (12 euros, 13 dollars) and allows multiple entries to the UK for stays of up to six months over two years or until the holder’s passport expires—whichever comes first.

Eligibility for the ETA depends on nationality, and suitable travelers can apply using the UK ETA app. Previously, most visitors could enter the UK with just their passport, without needing a visa. However, this changed in November last year when the then Conservative government introduced the ETA, initially for Qatari nationals.

Earlier this year, the scheme expanded to include citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, with children and babies from these countries also needing an ETA. On Tuesday, Interior Minister Yvette Cooper announced that all nationalities, except Europeans, can apply for an ETA starting November 27. These travelers will need an ETA to enter the UK from January 8 next year. The scheme will then extend to eligible Europeans, who will require an ETA from April 2, 2025, and can apply starting March 5.

Eligible travelers will need an ETA even if they are transiting through the UK to connect to an onward flight abroad. British and Irish passport holders, as well as those with passports for a British overseas territory, do not need an ETA. Similarly, travelers with a visa, or those with permission to live, work, or study in the UK—including those settled under the EU Settlement Scheme from Britain’s exit from the European Union in January 2020—are exempt from needing an ETA.

Travelers can obtain an ETA if they are visiting the UK for up to six months for tourism, to see family and friends, for business, or for short-term study. However, they cannot get married, claim benefits, establish residency through frequent visits, or work as a self-employed person.

The Home Office says ETAs are “in line with the approach many other countries have taken to border security, including the US and Australia.”

The ETA scheme also mirrors the ETIAS system for visa-exempt nationals traveling to 30 European countries, including France and Germany, which the European Commission expects to be operational early next year. This initiative is part of the government’s effort to digitize its border and immigration system.

The Home Office says the ETA will ensure “more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK,” helping to prevent “abuse of our immigration system.” This change is partly a consequence of Brexit, which ended the freedom of movement for European nationals to Britain.

Heathrow Airport has attributed a 90,000 drop in transfer passenger numbers to the ETA scheme on routes covered by the program since its launch. The airport has called the system “devastating for our hub competitiveness” and urged the government to “review” the inclusion of air transit passengers.

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