UK expands its Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme to EU citizens

Starting from today, EU citizens planning to visit the UK can apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA, which will be required to enter the country from 2 April 2025.

The UK government sought to reassure travellers that the application process is “quick and simple” through the UK ETA app, “with the vast majority of applicants currently receiving a decision automatically in minutes.”

The government said:

Applicants provide their biographic and biometric details and answer a few questions on suitability and criminality. Once an applicant has successfully applied, their ETA is digitally linked to their passport.

An ETA currently costs £10 and allows multiple visits to the UK of up to six months over a two-year period, or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner. An ETA is not a visa, it is a digital permission to travel

The move is the latest stage in the rollout of the ETA, which is an online travel application system for travellers from countries who do not require a visa to visit the UK and is similar to the longstanding ESTA system in the US.

The ETA was first introduced in November 2023 and was extended to more than 50 countries in January, including citizens of the US, Australia, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Currently the ETA costs £10 but the UK government has proposed increasing this fee to £16, which drew criticism from the business travel industry. An ETA permits multiple journeys to the UK and is valid for two years or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever is sooner.

Citizens from the following European countries can apply for ETA to visit the UK from 5 March: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, 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.

The EU is also planning to introduce its own electronic travel permit, known as ETIAS. But it can only be implemented after the new electronic border control system, known as the Entry-Exit System (EES), has been launched and this has suffered numerous delays in recent years.

According to the EU, EES is currently “due to start later in 2025”, while ETIAS “will not start in the first half of 2025”.

For more information about the UK’s ETA and to make an application, go to the Gov.UK website.