to enter the UK, new requirements

Citizens of forty countries have been required to apply for travel authorization through the United States Electronic System (ESTA) prior to visiting the country since January 2009. Required in the wake of 9/11, the ESTA is an automated procedure that establishes a visitor’s eligibility to enter the United States through the Visa Waiver Program (VWP).

Nevertheless, Australia was the first nation to mandate an electronic travel permission in 1996, not the United States. In addition to the United States, Canada (US citizens are excluded), Cote d’Ivoire, South Korea, Sri Lanka, and New Zealand are among the other nations that demand some sort of pre-travel authorization.

Travelers based in the United States and others have been aware of the impending ETIAS visa waiver for the last five or six years. This is an electronic permission system that the European Union plans to implement for tourists who do not require a visa and who are coming to Bulgaria, Cyprus, Romania, and the European Union or Schengen Area.

ETIAS was first announced in 2018 but has since experienced multiple delays; it is currently slated to launch in 2024.

There are other new electronic travel permission systems in the works besides ETIAS, though. The UK released a statement regarding their own program, ETA, which is set to launch in November, a few years after ETIAS was revealed.

On January 31, 2020, the United Kingdom notably withdrew from the European Union following a 51.9% vote in favor of Brexit. It is obviously still a part of Europe, but it is no longer a component of the EU. Thus, ETIAS is unrelated to the United Kingdom (in fact, when it goes “live,” citizens of the United Kingdom will need to apply for ETIAS just like everyone else). Thus, ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) development got underway in 2022 at the British government’s Home Office, a ministerial department in charge of immigration, security, and law and order.

# From the House of Commons Library of the UK Parliament: Electronic travel authorizations: What is the ETA?

By the end of 2024, visitors to the UK who do not require a visa will have to get an electronic travel authorization, or ETA, in advance of their trip.

Currently, “non-visa nationals,” such as citizens of the US and the EU, are exempt from needing a visa to enter the UK for stays of up to six months. The Home Office implemented a new system that will require visitors to apply for and pay for the ETA prior to their trip. Therefore, all visitors to the UK will need to get advance authorization to travel, such as an ETA or a visa, with the exception of British and Irish nationals.

Other nations have similar programs in place, and the EU is establishing its own.

The government claims that because the program will provide it more time and information to assess non-visa travellers, border security will be enhanced. According to the Home Office, advance screening will decrease the number of individuals who are refused entrance at the border (due to, say, a criminal record), as they won’t be allowed to go in the first place.

Prospective visitors to the UK will apply online or via a mobile app once ETA is live. A picture, biographical and contact details, passport information, and responses to inquiries concerning past criminal activity and immigration background will all be requested on the form (fingerprints will be included later, if and when such technology becomes accessible via an app).

# How to Apply

You must apply online at GOV.UK or using the UK ETA app. Others may apply on your behalf.

All travelers, including infants and children, are required to obtain their own ETA.

Generally, you’ll hear back within three business days, but it can happen sooner. Having said that, if they need to do additional checks, it can take more than three working days. If a person has ever overstayed a visa or has a criminal record, they may not be granted an ETA.

There won’t be a tangible copy of the ETA itself. Rather, it will be an electronic document validated through email and connected to the individual’s passport. The individual’s authorization to go to the United Kingdom will also be electronically communicated to carriers, like airlines.

Each applicant will pay £10 (about $12.49) for an ETA. Your ETA will be valid for two years after you receive it. Get a new ETA if your passport expires in less than two years.

# Who will require an ETA?

November is when the program is scheduled to start. But it will start out slowly, according to this schedule:

# Should you be a citizen of Qatar

If your trip to the UK is scheduled for November 15, 2023, or later, you will require an ETA. Applications will be accepted starting on October 25.

# If you’re a citizen of the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia,

If your trip to the UK is scheduled for February 22, 2024, or later, you will require an ETA. Applications will be accepted starting on February 1st.

# If you’re a citizen of another nation—including the US—

This is not the time for you to apply for an ETA. At a later time, the list will include more nationalities.

A few categories of individuals can enter or exit the UK without requiring an ETA application:

# Who wouldn’t require an ETA?

If you have an either, you won’t need one ETA:

  • British or Irish nationality

  • Permanent live work, or study in the United Kingdom

  • Have a visa to enter in the UK

# If you are not an Irish citizen living in Ireland

Should all of the following hold true, you won’t require an ETA:

  • You are legal a resident of Ireland.

  • For entry into the UK, a visa is not required.

  • You’re coming into the United Kingdom from the Isle of Man, Guernsey, Jersey, or Ireland.

It is not shocking that the UK (or the people behind ETIAS, to be honest) are starting their own separate programs after UK individuals were required to obtain an ESTA prior to being vetted by the US. It seems that you should just lose a little time and money if you are accepted, provided that you have no troubling past.