EU citizens to pay £10 to visit UK from next year
EU citizens will be required to have a digital travel authorisation and pay £10 to visit the UK from next year, the British government announced on Tuesday.
Citizens from EU countries, as well as Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City, who travel to the UK for a short stay will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) as of 2 April 2025.
The scheme already applies to citizens from the Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates) and it will soon extend to all nationalities.
According to the timeline announced by the government, eligible Europeans will be able to apply from 5 March 2025 and will need the ETA to travel from 2 April 2025. Eligible non-Europeans can apply from 27 November 2024 and will need an ETA from 8 January 2025.
The ETA applies to people from visa-free countries travelling to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, to visit family and friends, for business or short-term study.
It will also be required for people travelling to the UK for up to 3 months on the Creative Worker visa concession or for a permitted paid engagement, or just transiting through the UK to reach another destination even without going through border control.
The ETA will cost £10 and will allow multiple journeys to the UK over a two-year period or until the holder’s passport expires, whichever is sooner.
Exemptions
A number of people, however, will not need an ETA. They include UK citizens, Irish citizens, visa holders and anyone with permission live, work or study in the UK (including EU citizens with settled or pre-settled status), as well as holders of a British overseas territories passport.
Europeans who live in Ireland and are travelling to the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man (the Common Travel Area) will also be exempted.
“People who are legally resident in Ireland and from a nationality that does not usually require a visa to visit the UK (e.g. EEA and US nationals), do not require an ETA when travelling to the UK from within the CTA, provided they hold acceptable evidence of their residence status,” the UK government website says. However, if they travel to the UK from outside of the Common Travel Area, they will need an ETA, the website adds.
How to apply
The government says the easiest way to apply is through the UK ETA app. People without a smartphone can apply on the UK government website. Each person will have to apply individually, no group applications will be allowed.
Applicants will need to pay the fee, provide contact and passport details, a valid photo, and answer some questions.
“Applicants usually get a decision within three working days, but they may get a quicker decision,” the government says. The ETA will arrive by email and will be linked to the passport used to apply.
If an application is refused, the traveller will have to apply for a visa. More information is available here.
Dual nationals
Other countries, including the US and Australia, require visitors to apply for a digital authorisation before travelling. The EU is also introducing its new digital border system in November and a digital travel authorisation (the European Travel Information and Authorisation System – ETIAS), which will cost €7, next year.
Dual UK-EU nationals will have to travel with both passports to avoid the travel authorisation on both sides. They will have to input the data of different passports for each travel leg when checking in online.
Digital borders
The ETA’s extension to all nationalities will mean that from next year everyone wishing to travel to the UK, except for British and Irish citizens, will need to obtain permission in advance, whether in the form of an ETA, a visa or an immigration status.
“Digitisation enables a smooth experience for the millions of people who pass through the border every year, including the visitors we warmly welcome to the UK who are predicted to contribute over £32 billion to our tourism economy this year. The worldwide expansion of the ETA demonstrates our commitment to enhance security through new technology and embedding a modern immigration system,” said Minister for Migration and Citizenship Seema Malhotra.
The UK is digitalising its border system entirely. People who need a UK visa to live, work or study in the UK are now issued with an electronic one and UK residents with a physical immigration documents, such as Biometric Residence Permits (BRP) or passport stamps or vignette stickers, will have to create an online account to access their eVisa at gov.uk/eVisa before the end of the year.
Claudia Delpero, Europe Street News © all rights reserved
Photo: KLM plane arriving in London, by Daniel Klein on Unsplash
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