The government has set out new implementation dates for its electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme.
Visitors coming to the UK – except British and Irish citizens – will need permission to travel, through an ETA costing £10 or an eVisa.
Gulf Cooperation Council visitors already need an ETA to travel to the UK.
From November 27, eligible non-Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need an ETA to travel from January 8, 2025.
ETAs will then extend to eligible Europeans from March 5, 2025, who will need an ETA to travel from April 2, 2025.
A statement from the government said: “ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller’s passport and ensure more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK, helping to prevent abuse of our immigration system.”
An ETA costs £10 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. Applications for an ETA can be done via the UK ETA app.
Seema Malhotra, minister for migration and citizenship, said: “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.”
People who need a UK visa to live, work or study in the UK are now issued with an eVisa, providing digital proof of immigration status, instead of physical immigration documents which can be lost, stolen, or tampered with.
Migrants in the UK who currently use a physical immigration document, including a biometric residence permit (BRP), or a passport containing ink stamps or visa vignette stickers, can create an online account to access their eVisa.
Heathrow revealed last month that the introduction of the ETA meant that it lost 90,000 transfer passengers on routes operating to and from the seven countries included in the scheme, since its introduction last year.
“This is devastating for our hub competitiveness,” an airport statement said.
The government said it “continues to work closely with global airline, maritime and rail carriers, who are crucial to ensuring smooth implementation of our digitisation programme”.
Picture by FTiare/Shutterstock
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