The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) opened for eligible non-European visitors on November 27, 2024. The ETA scheme is a pre-travel permit that acts as digital permission to enter the UK for short-term travel. Non-EU travelers who were previously exempt from needing a visa will be required to attain the ETA for travel to the UK on or after January 8, 2025.
The first phase of the ETA saw Qatari nationals eligible to apply from October 2023, followed by other GCC nationals from February 2024. The current phase has expanded the scheme to include citizens from 48 non-EU countries, including:
| Antigua and Barbuda | Argentina | Australia |
| The Bahamas | Barbados | Belize |
| Botswana | Brazil | Brunei |
| Canada | Chile | Costa Rica |
| Grenada | Guatemala | Guyana |
| Hong Kong | Israel | Japan |
| Kiribati | Macao | Malaysia |
| Maldives | Marshall Islands | Mauritius |
| Mexico | 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 |
The ETA scheme is set to expand once again in March 2025, enabling all eligible European travelers to apply for the ETA for their travel to the UK. This will be the last phase in the ETA rollout, requiring all travelers to apply unless they’re required to get a visa, have UK immigration status, or are citizens of Britain or Ireland.
Seema Malhotra, Member of Parliament and Minister for Migration and Citizenship, has praised the rollout of the ETA, stating that “this expansion of ETA is a significant step forward in delivering a border that’s efficient and fit for the digital age.” She also describes the ETA scheme as “light-touch screening” and reassures UK residents that it will “keep our country safe while ensuring visitors have a smooth travel experience.”
Compared to the previous visa waiver scheme for GCC nationals, the ETA provides a much quicker and easier application process for travelers and those who simply need to transit through the UK. For border control, the ETA will save resources and ensure stronger immigration control.
To apply for the ETA, eligible non-EU travelers can now follow the same application process as GCC nationals. The entire process is conducted online and applicants will be notified of their success or denial via email. For successful applicants, the digital permit is applied automatically to their passport and lasts for two years or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever comes first. During that time, the passport holder can travel to and transit through the UK multiple times.
With travelers from the USA, Canada, and Australia alone contributing £8.8 billion to the UK economy in 2023, this new phase of the ETA will ensure travel and tourism can thrive.