As of 2025, people travelling to the UK from the US and the EU will have to apply for a £10 (€11.66) travel permit.
The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) was introduced in November 2023, for nationals of Qatar, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan who are entering or transiting through the UK without legal residence rights or a visa.
Three expansions due
Three expansions of the scheme are now set to happen in quite quick succession, Yvette Cooper, the Home Secretary, has announced. From November 2024, the scheme will be opened to application from all other nationals, except Europeans. It will be necessary for entry from 8 January 2025.
Thirdly, in March 2025, the ETA arrangements will be extended to European nationals and will become required for them from 2 April 2025.
Începând cu aprilie 2025, toți vizitatorii care nu au nevoie de viză pentru Marea Britanie vor avea nevoie de o autorizație electronică de călătorie (ETA). Începând de astăzi, informații despre eligibilitatea ETA sunt disponibile la: https://t.co/5oeIphlc4F pic.twitter.com/ZebAnvpEYz
— UK Embassy Bucharest (@ukinromania) September 11, 2024
How does it work?
An ETA is what you get when you ask permission to enter the UK. It is an authorisation “document” that is linked digitally to a person’s passport. The scheme is part of ongoing plans to digitise the country’s borders by 2025. Applications take place online, via a form that can be accessed by most people using a mobile app.
To apply, citizens from eligible countries need to provide details of a valid biometric passport, their travel plans, an email address, and the ability to pay with a credit or debit card. A set of suitability questions will also be asked. Depending on the validity of all the above, a decision and usually approval from the government should follow within 72 hours, though travellers are advised to apply at least a few days ahead.
Once applied for, approved and paid for, each ETA permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years, or until the holder’s passport expires.
Explaining the need for the system, Cooper told the UK parliament: “Once fully rolled out, the ETA scheme will close the current gap in advance permissions and mean that for the first time, we will have a comprehensive understanding of those travelling to the UK.”
Not all plain sailing
The ETA scheme has not proven popular with all stakeholders however. Heathrow officials have said it caused a colossal 90,000 drop in transfer passenger figures and has damaged the airport’s competitiveness. In addition, travel industry representatives, such as Northern Ireland’s Tourism Alliance have expressed fears that the rollout could deter up to 25% of holidaymakers.
In another hiccup, Jordanian nationals are being removed from the scheme due to breaches of visitor rules, including an increase in asylum claims other types of entry not eligible for ETA which has created “operational pressures at the border”.
After a four-week grace period for Jordanians with existing ETAs, they will not be eligible for ETAs any more.