Travellers to the United Kingdom will soon have to face an additional hurdle. From April 2, 2025, most Europeans will only be allowed to enter the country if they have registered online in advance.
Even a simple airport transit in Great Britain will only be allowed with an ETA authorization. This will initially cost £10 and will be valid for up to two years. A single stay, as before, must not exceed six months.
Details about the ETA requirement starting in January and April
It’s not just Europeans who are affected by the introduction of the ETA. From 2025, all people travelling to or through Great Britain without a visa must register in advance. Only British or Irish nationals and visa holders are exempt.
The British government states:
Today we are confirming that from 27 November 2024, eligible non-scan apply for an ETA and will need an ETA to travel from 8 January 2025. ETAs will then extend to eligible Europeans from 5 March 2025, who will need an ETA to travel from 2 April 2025.
gov.uk
For many nationalities, including travellers from the USA and Canada, an Electronic Travel Authorization will be required from January 8. From April 2, this will also apply to people from European countries:
Nationalities with ETA requirement starting January 8, 2025
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- The Bahamas
- Barbados
- Belize
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Chile
- Colombia
- Costa Rica
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Hong Kong (inkl. British national overseas)
- Israel
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Macao
- 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
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- United States
- Uruguay
Nationalities with ETA requirement starting April 2, 2025
- Andorra
- Austria
- Belgium
- Bulgaria
- 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
As a European, you can apply for the ETA starting March 5, 2025. Both a smartphone app (for Android/iOS) or an online form will be available for this. The cost is £10 in both cases. Once granted, the ETA is valid for either two years or until the passport expires. Since October 2021, a passport has been required for travel to the United Kingdom; an ID card is no longer sufficient.
Even Transit in London only with ETA
The ETA requirement applies not only to entry into Great Britain. Even a simple transfer at a British airport requires an ETA, despite transit passengers not going through passport control (unlike e.g. in the USA).
For infrequent travellers, a layover in Great Britain is becoming even less attractive. Even now, London Heathrow is an unpleasant airport for transfers for various reasons (security checks, terminal changes only by bus, etc.). The ETA requirement adds another hurdle, making alternative connections via, e.g. Madrid or Helsinki more appealing.
Conclusion
More and more countries are requiring visitors to register online in advance. The idea of pre-screening travellers is understandable. However, as a frequent traveller, I find this registration requirement increasingly annoying. The time needed to constantly register and check the rules bothers me even more than the costs for ETA and similar systems.
In rare cases, it may now be necessary to apply for three travel authorizations for a single trip, e.g. the following trip would require an ETA for Great Britain (€12), an eTA for Canada (€5), and then an ESTA for the USA (€20).
Translated by Ditmar
Cover Picture: Ditmar Lange
Comments (5)
Dear Peer,
Please assist me in expanding my general knowledge : what does “SOL” transiting stand for ?
Thx
Peter
I’ve never used it myself, but it’s probably gonna be that one:
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/shit_out_of_luck#English
Apologies but I missed that the author was based in Germany. The content much applies, since the EU are bringing in the same (it’s been delayed 4 times already.
As of November the EU will require all non-resident entrants to be fingerprinted and photographed at the borders, the chaos for non-EU residents will be massive.
Umm and it’s half the price the US charges for the same thing to travellers from the UK, EU and all visa waiver eligibe countries. You’re in a glass house, throwing stones is pointless.
The US rules are so twisted that anyone from a visa waiver eligible country cannot now visit Cuba (since DT changed the rules in 2021). But as a US citizen you can. How does that make sense?
The EU are bringing in a similar ETA next year, so you’ll be pretty much SOL transiting any country.
“The EU are bringing in a similar ETA next year, so you’ll be pretty much SOL transiting any country.”
The EU ETA (ETIAS) will indeed be required for UK citizens from next year. However, it doesn’t apply to passengers staying in the airport transit area, unlike the British ETA that’s been announced now.
I can see why many countries are implementing these ETA requirements. But from a traveler’s view, I am pretty annoyed by these. No matter whether it’s the US, Canada, UK or Japan (supposed to follow from 2030)