UK Mandates ETA Travel Permit From Next Year; Here's What You Need To Know

The British government recently announced an overhaul in non-visa entry requirements for visitors from 2025. The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme is similar to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in the United States. The Home Office said in a statement that, “Everyone wishing to travel to the UK—except British and Irish citizens—will need permission to travel in advance of coming here. This can be either through an ETA or an eVisa.”

Here’s what you need to know about it.

What Is The ETA About?

All visitors who do not require a visa to travel to Britain will need an ETA from April 2, 2025. This is a travel permit digitally linked to the traveller's passport and is for people entering or transiting through the United Kingdom without a visa or legal residence rights.

It costs GBP 10 (INR 110) and 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, whichever is sooner. Eligibility is based on nationality and suitable travellers can apply using the “UK ETA” app.

Previously, most visitors could arrive at a British airport with their passports and enter the country without a visa. But that began to change in November 2023 when the then-Conservative government introduced the ETA, starting with Qatari nationals.

The scheme was extended earlier this year and currently includes citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Children and babies from these countries need an ETA too. All nationalities except for Europeans can apply for an ETA from November 27, 2024. They will need one travel to Britain from January 8 next year.

The scheme will then extend to eligible Europeans, who will require an ETA from April 2, 2025. They will be able to apply from March 5. Eligible travellers will need one even if they are just using the UK to connect to an onward flight abroad.

British and Irish passport holders and those with passports for a British overseas territory do not need an ETA. Travellers with a visa also do not require one, nor do people with permission to live, work or study in the UK, including people settled under the EU Settlement Scheme agreed as part of Britain's exit from the European Union in January 2020.

What Is Allowed Under An ETA

Travellers can get an ETA if they are coming to the UK for up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, for business, or for short-term study. They cannot get married, claim benefits, live in the country by making frequent visits or take up 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.” It also mirrors the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for visa-exempt nationals travelling to 30 European countries, including France and Germany, that the European Commission expects to be operational from early next year. According to the Home Office, the ETA will ensure “more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK,” to help prevent "abuse of our immigration system.”

(With inputs from a news source)