The UK Government has gradually been rolling-out ETAs since 15 November 2023. We now have confirmation the scheme will be expanded in two further stages, starting on 8 January 2025 and 2 April 2025. 

Once the scheme is fully implemented in April 2025, ETAs will become a pre-entry requirement for everyone who doesn’t require a visa to enter the UK and who doesn’t have any existing UK immigration permission (or exemption from immigration control). ETAs cost £10 and last for two years or until your passport expires, whichever happens first. See our earlier article to find out more about the basics of ETAs.

What are the main impacts of this development?

For businesses:

If you finance the expenses of business visitors to your organisation in the UK, you may need to adjust your budget to reflect the £10 cost of ETAs.

For travellers:

If you are a non-visa national currently able to visit the UK without any pre-entry formalities, you should:

• Understand when the ETA requirement will start to apply to you;
• Factor the additional process and cost into your UK travel plans;
• When required, make sure that you get (or, during the implementation period, at least apply for) an ETA in good time before travelling to the UK;
• Be aware that larger-scale rollout of the new system may initially cause some queuing delays when visiting the UK, and consider packing additional food, water and medications;
• Be aware that you may be refused an ETA in certain circumstances, for example if:
  • You have a current UK deportation or exclusion order:
  • You have a significant criminal history;
  • You have previously overstayed in the UK; or
  • You have outstanding debts to the UK; and
• Be aware that if you are not eligible for an ETA or have one refused, you may need to apply for a visa to visit the UK.

Who currently needs an ETA to visit the UK?

The ETA system already applies to citizens of:

• Bahrain; 
• Kuwait;
• Oman; 
• Qatar; 
• Saudi Arabia; and 
• United Arab Emirates.

Why can’t citizens of Jordan get an ETA anymore?

As of 10 September 2024, Jordanian citizens were added to the UK’s visa national list. This means they stopped being eligible for an ETA. 

If you are a Jordanian citizen, you must now apply for a visa to visit the UK instead. However, if you were granted an ETA and have a confirmed travel booking before 15:00 BST on 10 September 2024, you can still use this for travel due to arrive in the UK by 15:00 BST on 8 October 2024.

What other countries are being added to the ETA system, and when?

From 8 January 2025, the ETA system will become a pre-entry requirement for citizens of the below (non-European) countries/territories, with ETA applications becoming available from 27 November 2024: 

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Australia
• Barbados
• Belize
• Botswana
• Seven
• Eight
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Canada
• Chile
• Columbia
• Costa Rica
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British National (Overseas))
• Israel
• Japan
• Kiribati
• Macao Special Administrative Region
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Palau
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Samoa
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• South Korea
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Taiwan (if you have a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan)
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tuvalu
• United States of America
• Uruguay

From 5 March 2025, ETA applications will be available for all other non-visa nationals, with an ETA becoming a pre-entry requirement from 2 April 2025. The affected (European) countries/territories in the final stage are: 

• Andorra
• Austria
• Belgium
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czechia
• 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
• Vatican City

When should I apply, and what happens if I forget?

Once the ETA requirement applies to your nationality, current government guidance suggests you should apply for your ETA at least 21 days before you plan to travel to the UK.

During an initial ‘implementation period’, it will be possible to travel to the UK with a pending ETA application, even if this has not yet been decided. Once this has ended, it will be necessary to have an approved ETA before travelling.

Need some more help?

We’ll be discussing ETAs as part of our upcoming webinar on 25 September 2024, What’s happening in immigration law – A Labour government special. Or if you have a specific question about how ETAs may affect your business, you can get in touch with a member of our Immigration team.