The UK implements new travel requirements for visitors from 48 countries – here’s everything you need to know

Travelers may have been spared Europe’s new entry fee in 2024, but they won’t be able to avoid it anymore.

After delays in the European Union’s ETIAS visa waiver, or the European Travel Information and Authorization System, it is now on track to officially roll out in 2025.

ETIAS is an entry application for visa-exempt nationals traveling to 30 European countries, including France, Italy, Germany, Greece and Spain.

But on Wednesday, January 8, before ETIAS officially starts, the UK will introduce an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) system, which is a digital record for US, Canadian and non-EU passport holders who do not have a visa valid for entry or travel within the UK. .

Instead of just having a passport to present when they land, tourists will now also need pre-travel authorization to board a plane in the UK.

An ETA – which is equivalent to the Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) in the US – is a mandatory, paid approval that pre-clears travelers for entry before boarding a plane.

The digital registration scheme is for “short” visits of less than six months for tourism and business, as well as short-term study and paid engagements, according to the ETA website.

Travelers from 48 countries, including the US and Canada, will need an ETA to enter the UK from January. 8. However, EU citizens will only need one from 2 April, and citizens of those countries who are UK residents will not need an ETA.

It should be noted that the ETA is not a visa – it is a visa waiver. So travelers whose nationality requires a visa to enter the UK will still need to apply for one, although they won’t need an ETA.

You will need an ETA if you are:

• coming to the UK for up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study
• coming to the UK for up to three months on a Creative Worker visa concession
• come to the UK for a permitted paid engagement
• transit through the UK – including if you are not passing through UK border control

You do not need an ETA if:

• you have a visa
• you have permission to live, work or study in the UK (including settled or pre-settled status or right of residence)
• you are a British or Irish citizen
• you are traveling on a British Overseas Territories citizen passport
• you live in Ireland and are traveling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
• you have dual British or Irish citizenship

An ETA will not allow you to do the following:

• staying in the UK for more than six months
• do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless you are doing a permitted paid engagement or event or working on a Creative Workers visa concession
• claim public funds (benefits)
• live in the UK through frequent or successive visits
• marry or register a civil partnership, or notify of marriage or civil partnership

Those planning to travel to the UK can apply for an ETA through the official application listed on the UK government website or directly online. The cost is a non-refundable fee of 10 euros (just over $10), and you’ll need to upload or take photos of your passport and a photo of your face.

Applying online takes about 20 minutes and a decision is usually given within three working days, although the government noted that it can occasionally take longer.

Once you receive an email confirming that you have received an ETA, it will be linked to your passport and will last for two years, allowing tourists to travel to the UK as often as they like during that time.

However, an ETA does not guarantee entry into the UK. You will still need to see a Border Force officer or use an ePassport gateway.