European travellers will have to pay for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the United Kingdom from April 2025. Applications for this travel document open from Wednesday 5 March.
Nearly ten years after Brits voted to leave the EU, a UK measure further impeding travel and free movement will take effect next month. As a result, all European visitors who do not need a visa to travel to the UK for short stays of up to six months will need permission to travel before arriving in the country from 2 April 2025.
This permission is granted in the form of an ETA, a digital travel permission to the UK modelled on the American ESTA (the form filled out when entering the US). The ETA, which is not the same as a visa and does not guarantee entry to the UK, is digitally linked to an individual's passport.
Europeans who are planning to travel to England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from 2 April onwards can apply for an ETA from Wednesday 5 March 2025. The permit has been required for non-European travellers entering the country since 8 January.
Dual citizens with British or Irish citizenship do not need an ETA but will need to prove their right to enter the UK by showing their British or Irish passport.
How to apply
UK authorities have repeatedly said applying for an ETA is "quick and simple". Applications can also be made through the official government website or via the UK ETA app available on the App Store or Google Play. Applicants must supply a photograph and answer a set of questions.
"Most applicants can expect to get an automatic decision in minutes when applying through the app. This means last-minute trips to the UK are still possible," said UK ambassador to Belgium, Anne Sherriff. Visitors are advised to allow three working days for a decision on their application.
UK Border Force will check the ETA on arrival and may ask supplementary questions before deciding whether or not to approve it.
An ETA currently costs £10 (around €12), however, changes laid before the UK Parliament propose to increase the fee to £16 (around €19). One ETA permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months over two years or until the holder's passport expires – whichever comes sooner.
Initially, people in transit, waiting to board a connecting flight at a British airport, also had to obtain an ETA. However, the UK Home Office has now decided that transit travellers will be "temporarily" exempted from the ETA requirement. The exemption will be reviewed regularly.
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The measure aims to deliver a more streamlined, digital immigration system which will be more secure. "The introduction of the ETA scheme is in line with the approach many other countries have taken to border security and will help prevent the arrival of those who present a threat to the UK," Sherriff said.
The EU is also working to introduce important changes for travel to the bloc, namely the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), due in mid-2025. The ETIAS is a travel authorisation that must be applied for in advance and will cost €7 for a three-year validity period. Some travellers (such as under-18s, over-70s and family members of EU citizens) are exempt from paying the fee. More on that here.
