UK introduces mandatory E-travel authorisation/ETA for travellers

UK introduces mandatory E-travel authorisation/ETA for travellers

European nationals can apply for a digital travel permit to enter the UK starting from Wednesday, in the latest step taken by Britain to digitise its borders.

The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme — similar to the ESTA system in the United States — will be mandatory for European visitors from April, following its roll-out for US, Canadian and other visa-exempt nationals in January.

Starting from 1000 GMT on Wednesday, European nationals can apply for the pre-travel pass for short visits to Britain, which left the European Union in 2020.

They will need an ETA from April 2, 2025, in the last phase of the UK’s rollout of digital travel checks.

The scheme was first launched in 2023 for Qatar, before being extended to five regional Gulf neighbours.

In January, it was expanded to require nationals of around 50 more countries and territories, including Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand to obtain an ETA, after opening applications for them in November 2024.

Almost 1.1 million visitors were issued with ETAs before the end of 2024, according to the UK Home Office.

The ETA application currently costs £10 (12 euros, $12.70), but is set to increase to £16. It permits visits of up to six months, and is valid for two years.

READ ALSO:

• Supreme Court rejects Trump bid to freeze $2bn foreign aid
• NAFDAC seizes 50-trailer load of fake drugs, rifles from Onitsha market
• JUST IN: Ex-Immigration officer arrested for selling firearms to bandits

Visitors can apply for an ETA through a smartphone app or UK government website, with “the vast majority of applications currently receiving a decision automatically in minutes”, the Home Office said in a statement.

The application involves collecting biographic and biometric data, as well as answering some background questions. If successful, the ETA is digitally linked to the applicant’s passport.

“By digitising the immigration system we are paving the way for a contactless UK border,” said Migration Minister Seema Malhotra.

UK introduces mandatory E-travel authorisation/ETA for travelers