UK Electronic Travel Authorisation: What will it mean for non-British citizens?

Currently, the UK requires an Electronic Travel Authorisation, also known as an ETA to be completed by anyone entering the country from Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

However, in a similar vein to the Schengen ETIAS, that will change next year, as international and European travellers will also require the document.  In fact, the only visitors who will not need an ETA will be British and Irish citizens, or those who already have an eVisa.

Non-European travellers will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation from January 2025

The new regulations are being introduced in phases to minimise disruption. Starting from January 8 2025, non-European visitors will need to obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before their arrival.  Therefore, to make it easier, applications for an ETA will be accepted from any of the following countries with effect from November 27 2024:

Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British national overseas), Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated State of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan*, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United States, and Uruguay.

*If you have a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan).

European arrivals will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation from April 2025

This requirement for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will later be extended to include European arrivals from April 2 2025. However, applications will be accepted from any of the following countries from March 5 2025:

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.

ETA will be needed even for transit flights via UK airports

It’s essential to remember that obtaining an ETA will still be necessary even if you’re just transferring to another flight via a UK airport.

The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation is loosely based on the US ESTA and is intrinsically linked to the holder’s passport via electronic means. It will cost £10 (€12) to obtain and will be valid for two years or until passport expiry, whichever comes sooner.  The ETA can be purchased via the UK government website or alternatively by downloading the specialised app which is available for both Apple and Android devices.

The process will require the applicant to answer a series of questions and provide a photograph. The UK government believes that obtaining this information prior to travel will help prevent dangerous individuals, such as criminals, from entering the UK.  It is estimated that each application will take no more than three days to process, although in reality it is hoped that it will be much quicker.

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Further information can be found on the UK government website.