We also look at whether binationals and the family of UK nationals are exempt, when this is due to start and if there will be changes to passport lanes

Non-UK citizens travelling into the UK for visits will need to apply online for a £10 (€12) digital authorisation from one of two dates next year.

The UK has now set the implementation dates for the rollout of its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system as follows:

• January 8, 2025 for non-European nationalities such as Americans, Australians and Canadians, with applications possible from November 27

• April 2, 2025 for EU/EEA/Swiss citizens and European micro-states such as Monaco and San Marino, with applications possible from March 5

The ETA is similar to the US’s Esta application, or the EU’s forthcoming Etias and will be a simple online application for authorisation to enter the territory. 

It will be for people who do not require a visa to visit the UK and who want to visit for up to six months (at present this is possible with no formalities under UK rules).

The scheme was originally expected to come in during 2024 when announced under the previous Conservative government.

Citizens of several countries in the Middle East already require an ETA.

Read more: What is the EU’s Etias visa waiver scheme? 

ETA permission will last two years, or until the person’s passport expires, and it will be required for people coming for tourism, visiting family and friends and short-term study as well as certain kinds of business trip and categories of short-term work that do not require a full visa.

People just transiting through the UK will also be expected to apply as well even if they will not be passing any UK border controls. 

Applications will be via a phone app called UK ETA or via a website.The UK government says the app is expected to be the fastest way to apply.

The process will not concern:

• British citizens (including those with dual French or other nationalities)

• Irish citizens (due to the common UK-Ireland travel area)

• People who already have a visa or other permission to live in the UK

• People who need a full visa to visit the UK – this depends on nationality and includes, for example, Russians, Indians, Chinese people, Tunisians and Moroccans

• People who want to move to live in the UK long-term and people intending to take up salaried or self-employment work that requires a visa

The UK government also states that the system will not be applicable to people planning to effectively “live in the UK” by making very frequent or successive visits. 

While the UK does not have an equivalent of the EU’s 90/180 days rule – just a rule that nationals who are visa-exempt for short visits cannot stay more than six months at a time – if a person uses this flexibility to spend most of the year in the UK, it can call into question whether the UK has become their habitual home (as opposed to them just being a visitor) and their place of tax residency. The UK has not stated this explicitly, but the requirement of ETA registration may help officials to keep closer track of people at risk of doing so.

An ETA application will be needed per person, including for children of all ages (parents/guardians will apply on behalf of them).

What will this involve?

The application is stated by the UK authorities to be “simple and fast”.

You will need the passport you will travel on, an email account and a credit or debit card or Apple or Google Pay. It will be necessary to take digital photos or scans of your passport and face (the latter is not needed for children aged nine and under).

The process via the website starts with the applicant giving their email address, collecting a code from their email and entering this on the website. They are then directed to upload a photo of their passport, which must be clear and without reflections.

Basic personal and contact details have to be provided as well as answers to questions about your travel plans and questions related to past criminal convictions and recent visits to war zones or past deportations and visa overstaying.

How quickly will it be issued?

Applicants will receive a decision granting or refusing the ETA by email, usually within three days, although it can be less or more than this.

Official UK government information states that if you have applied for an ETA and need to travel soon despite not having the decision as yet, you may still travel while waiting for the decision.

We asked the Home Office’s communications team what would happen if a refusal decision was received after a person has travelled to the UK.

The answer given was that once a person has embarked on travel to the UK (eg. they have boarded a plane or ferry), if the decision has not been given at that point, they will be allowed to continue the journey to the UK and they will not then have their application refused.

Is there a specific process for family members of UK citizens?

Being a family member of a UK citizen is not listed as a reason for exemption, if you are a member of a nationality concerned by ETA and are not exempt on other grounds (such as being a legal UK resident).

Will there be changes to passport lanes?

ETA is an upfront process, before travel, and the UK has not announced that there will be any change in the procedure at the border, for example which passport lane you should use.

The UK currently allows EU nationals, as well as nationals of several other countries such as the US, New Zealand, Australia and Canada, to enter via ‘UK/EEA’ lanes which are usually faster than those for other nationals. It also permits the same nationals to use automatic e-gates where available.