From Wednesday April 2nd the UK’s new ETA travel authorisation system will be obligatory for European travellers. Here’s how it will impact residents of European countries.
The EU are planning big changes for travel with the new EES and ETIAS systems (albeit with no confirmed start date for either at the time of writing) – but the UK has also brought in a new requirement for travellers.
The UK’s ETA visa waiver will be required for citizens from EU and EFTA countries (Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein) from April 2nd, with online applications opened back in March. Numerous unofficial websites are charging travellers far more than the official UK government website so make sure to go via the right one. (More on this below).
What is it?
ETA stands for Electronic Travel Authorisation and it is essentially entry permission that visa-free travellers like tourists need to apply for online in advance of their trip.
It costs £10 and lasts two years, allowing multiple entries to the UK while it is valid.
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Like the EU’s version ETIAS, it is modelled on the USA’s ESTA visa waiver, and is required for all types of travel including tourism, short stays and family holidays.
When will it be introduced?
The UK’s ETA has been introduced in three stages; it has been a requirement for nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates since 2024.
From January 8th 2025 it has been required for nationals of all non-EU or non-EFTA countries – including Americans, Canadians, Australians and New Zealanders. You can find the full list here.
The final stage involves EU, EFTA countries, plus some other countries in Europe. The full list is Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and Vatican City.
People travelling on a passport of any of the above countries require the ETA from April 2nd, 2025.
Applications for the ETA opened online from Wednesday, March 5th. The only exception is people travelling on an Irish passport (because of the Common Travel Area between the UK and Ireland).
Once it is fully rolled out from April 2nd, only people travelling on a UK or Irish passport will be exempt from the requirement.
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Other exemptions?
As mentioned, people travelling on a UK or Irish passport are exempt.
Also exempt are UK visa-holders or anyone who has residency status in the UK (for example EU nationals who moved before Brexit and have Settled or Pre-Settled Status). An ETA is not required if you live in Ireland and you’re travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.
Otherwise everyone needs one – including children or babies and EU nationals who have a British spouse.
In the initial version of the law, airline passengers who are simply transiting through the UK did need one – however the UK government then backtracked in the face of fury from the aviation industry and said that transit passengers do not need one.
The ETA is intended for short visits such as holidays and family stays – it does not allow people to stay in the UK for more than 180 days or to work in the UK.
School pupils travelling from France on an organised trip will not require an ETA, due to a bilateral UK-France deal, but the school will be responsible for sorting a group entry permit for the class.
How can I get one?
You apply online or on the UK ETA app in advance of your trip – the UK government says that applications will normally be processed within three working days, but sometimes this may take longer. You cannot enter the UK until the ETA has been processed.
The ETA costs £10 and lasts for two years although the price may go up to £16 – during that time you can make multiple trips to the UK. If your passport is renewed during that time period, you will need to apply for a new ETA.
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You cannot make group applications – each person in a group needs their own ETA, but you can make the application for another person.
Find the UK government website HERE.
Warning for scam sites
There are no external companies or websites that are authorised by the UK government to provide the ETA visa waiver.
Any company that offers to complete the process for you is at the very least likely to charge you more than the usual fee for a service that you can easily do yourself on the government website.
READ ALSO: How to avoid being scammed when getting an ETA for the UK
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You just have to go to Google and type “ETA for UK” to see the number of “sponsored” sites offering to take you through the process. In the screenshot below the official government site is in 4th position.
Thankfully, some of the non-official websites do spell out that they are needless, but you’ll have to scroll to the very bottom to find out.
Text at the bottom of the site UKETA.com reads: “We are not affiliated with the United Kingdom government in any way. Applicants still have the option to apply for the UK ETA on their own via the official government portal at gov.uk without paying any additional professional fees.”
So as they say, to avoid paying extra, just go to the gov.uk ETA site.
For more on how to avoid paying too much and whether you can get your money back if you do, read our full article.
What about dual nationals?
If you hold a UK or Irish passport plus the passport of another country it all depends on which passport you are using to travel into the UK.
The passports of dual nationals are not ‘linked’, so for example if you present a French passport at the border, the system has no way of knowing that you are also a UK/Irish national and will treat you like any other French citizen – meaning you will need an ETA from April 2nd 2025.
You will only be exempted from the ETA requirement if you have your UK / Irish passport with you and can show it at the border.
EU nationals who have a British spouse will require the ETA, unless they are also dual nationals and are travelling on their UK passport.
The Local revealed recently a glitch with the official ETA application process that was leaving some dual UK nationals in limbo. Basically many people whose British passport had expired and intended to travel on the foreign passport reported they were unable to get an ETA, because they had to declare they were a British national.
This stopped their application process from going forward. Some readers reported that they were effectively being made to lie on their application and say they were not British in order to get an ETA. You can read the full story in the link below.
READ ALSO: ETA application glitch leaves some British dual-nationals in limbo
