The UK Government is introducing Electronic Travel Authorisation
(ETA) for millions of visitors who pass through the UK border
every year, including six million from the USA, Canada, and
Australia. From today all eligible non-European visitors can
apply for an ETA and will need one to travel to the UK from 8
January 2025.
Next year, we will open ETA to eligible Europeans, who will be
able to apply from 5 March 2025 and will need an ETA to travel to
the UK from 2 April 2025. From April 2025, all visitors to the UK
who do not need a visa for short stays and who do not already
have a UK immigration status will need an ETA.
This expansion follows the successful rollout of ETAs to Gulf
Cooperation Council nationals earlier this year. In the first
half of 2024, over 243,000 Gulf nationals were issued with ETAs
and can now benefit from smoother, easier travel to the UK for
short trips.
In 2023, visitors from the USA, Canada, and Australia alone
contributed £8.8 billion to the UK economy, supporting the UK's
tourist industry and boosting local businesses across the
country. ETAs will enhance security through new technology and
make the UK border more efficient, preserving the UK's appeal as
a dynamic, diverse, and exciting destination to visit.
Eligible visitors should apply for their ETA through the UK ETA
app, which is quick and simple to use and enables most applicants
to receive a decision in hours. Visitors can also apply on GOV.UK
if they do not have access to a smartphone.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, MP, said:
This expansion of ETA is a significant step forward in delivering
a border that's efficient and fit for the digital age.
Through light-touch screening before people step foot in the UK,
we will keep our country safe while ensuring visitors have a
smooth travel experience.
An ETA costs £10, permits multiple journeys, and lasts for two
years or until the holder's passport expires – whichever is
sooner. Once granted, ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller's
passport and allow for stays of up to six months at a time –
including both short trips and more extended stays. An ETA is not
a visa, it is a digital permission to travel.
All travellers to the UK – except British and Irish citizens –
will need permission to travel in advance through either an ETA
or an eVisa. Replacing physical immigration documents with eVisas
lets UK visa holders use online immigration services, take
control of their data and prevent against documents being lost,
stolen or tampered with.
To ensure the smooth implementation of a digitised border, the UK
Government continues to work closely with the travel industry,
including airline, maritime and rail carriers, and is delivering
a communications campaign to reach visitors about the steps they
need to take before they travel to the UK.
