The UK will introduce an Electronic Travel Authorisation to visitors from the EU on 2nd April 2025

The UK has announced that it will introduce an Electronic Travel Authorisation for EU citizens from 2nd April. This will be similar to the USA's ESTA and the Schengen area's proposed ETIAS and will cost £16 (from 9th April, £10 until then). The ETA has already been introduced for visitors to the UK from all countries other than the EU. The extension to EU nationals will take place on 2nd April 2025.

The ETA can be applied for now and will be required for travel into the UK from 2nd Aoril 2025. An ETA will be required for all non-British or Irish passport holders including babies and children who do not hold a visa or have right to remain (the UK's equivalent of the WARP card). An ETA is not required if the entry into a UK airport is for transit to another destination only AND the traveller remains "airside" (i.e. does not pass through passport control).

Although this will not affect British citizens resident in the EU if they travel into the UK on their current British passport, it will affect those EU-resident Britons who are double nationals but currently only use their EU passport and British citizens who have spouses or children who do not have British nationality or a British passport. It will also affect any British nationals who usually travel on their other passport and hold an expired British passport. To qualify for exemption from obtaining an  ETA, the British passport must be valid, i.e. with an expiry date after the date of travel to the UK.

If a British or Irish citizen does not have a British or Irish passport, they can apply for a certificate of entitlement to be added to the passport they do carry. This certificate costs £550 (price in January 2025) so it will almost certainly be cheaper to apply for a British or Irish passport instead. To find out more about application for a certificate of entitlement, visit the GOV.uk website https://www.gov.uk/right-of-abode/apply-for-a-certificate-of-entitlement.

To find out more about how the ETA application will apply, go to the GOV.UK website.

In the other direction of travel, the Schengen area, covering most EU countries, will be introducing the Entry/Exit System towards the end of 2025 and also the ETIAS travel authorisation expected to be introduced in the last quarrter of 2026. These will affect all British nationals (other than double nationals and those with EU residency) by introducing additional formalities when entering the Schengen area.

‍