The interior minister announced the Government’s plans to amend and update the current Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirements on 10 September 2024. These changes follow the introduction of a European Travel Information and Authorisations System (ETIAS) last year, as well as the initial roll out of the ETA for Qatar nationals on 25 October 2023, however, the roll out of the remaining countries under the ETA scheme has been delayed to 2025. You can read more about the proposed ETIAS changes in our previous article here. Please note the linked article was accurate at the date of writing.
What is an ETA?
Introduced earlier last year, an ETA is for eligible visitors creating visa free travel for short stays to the UK. A large group captured by these new requirements will be business visitors to the UK who do not need a visitor visa, including EU nationals. By Spring 2025, all visitors will need to have an ETA or a visitor visa to travel to the UK. The ETA simply gives visitors permission to travel to the UK, it does not guarantee entry.
Prior to the September announcement, nationals from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates needed to apply for an ETA prior to arriving in the UK. The Home Office has outlined its plans on expanding on this list of countries.
What are the updates?
The changes, announced earlier this month, continues with the Government’s plans to expand the list of foreign visitors requiring ETAs as originally envisaged, albeit delayed. After a staggered period of changes, any visitors planning to visit the UK for up to six months will need an ETA for visa free travel. These changes are in line with the Government’s continued aim to both digitise and fortify the current UK immigration system by creating travel records of those who previously could have previously travelled to the UK without a visa.
Additionally, despite the expansion of the countries that will require an ETA, Jordan has been removed from the ETA list and added to the Visa National List with immediate effect. Jordanian visitors are unable to apply for an ETA and therefore, will need an appropriate visitor visa in place. Transitional provisions are in place for anyone who has booked an ETA with an arrival in the UK no later than the 8 October 2024 at 3pm.
Going forward
From the 8 January 2025, “eligible non-Europeans” will need an ETA to travel into the UK and will be able to apply for authorisation from the 27 November 2024. Eligible non-Europeans includes nationals from countries like Argentina, Australia, US, Canada, and Taiwan. Similarly, “eligible European” visitors will require an ETA from the 2 April 2025, and can apply from the 5 March 2025. After these dates, all visitors will need authorisation to travel to the UK. This must not be confused with immigration permission – an ETA is advanced authorisation to travel to the UK, but it does not guarantee entry and is not permission to work in the UK. Work visas must be obtained separately.
ETA Process
Anyone, including children, wishing to travel to the UK will have to pay £10 for an ETA application. As per the current government advice, applications can take up to 3 working days to be approved.
Applicants will need:
- The passport they intend on travelling with
- Access to their emails
- A method of payment (a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay); and will need to upload or take photos of the:
- Applicant’s passport
- Face of the person applying
How can we help?
This update covers the upcoming amendments to the UK’s immigration policy. Employers whose employees will routinely travel to the UK without a visa, for example EU nationals travelling here for business, must be aware of these changes and make sure their employees are ready to apply for an ETA in advance of their travel. Travelling to the UK without an ETA or visa may result in those employees being refused entry, leading to business disruption.
For further information surrounding upcoming changes to Immigration and Employment Law, you can sign up to Capital Law’s latest Breakfast Briefing here.
Should you have any questions surrounding the ETA scheme, ETIAS, or Immigration more generally, feel free to get in touch with our team of Business Immigration lawyers.
