UK opens pre-travel requirement to non-Europeans
Non-Europeans can now apply in advance for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) and will need one to travel to the UK from January 2025.
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The UK government is introducing electronic travel authorisation (ETA) for millions of visitors who pass through the UK border every year, including 6 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 UK바카라 사이트™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 UK바카라 사이트™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 바카라 사이트 if they do not have access to a smartphone.
Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra MP, said:
This expansion of ETA is a significant step forward in delivering a border that바카라 사이트™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 2 years or until the holder바카라 사이트™s passport expires 바카라 사이트“ whichever is sooner. Once granted, ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller바카라 사이트™s passport and allow for stays of up to 6 months at a time 바카라 사이트“ 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 바카라 사이트“ except British and Irish citizens 바카라 사이트“ 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.