UK to require travel authorization from Nov 2023, exempting EU citizens

Source: Schengen Visa Info

The United Kingdom authorities have announced that the country will introduce a travel authorization requirement – the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) – in November 2023, but this will not apply to EU nationals until next year.

An ETA is a new requirement that will start to apply soon to all those who do not need a visa to enter the UK, and based on the data provided by the government of the UK, nationals of the EU won’t have to get an ETA until after February 2024, SchengenVisaInfo.com reports.

The UK government has already announced that nationals of Qatar will need to get an ETA from November 15, 2023, to travel to the UK.

Moreover, the same said that nationals of another six countries – Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates – will need to get an ETA from February 22, 2024, and stressed that more countries would be added to the scheme later.

This means that since none of the EU countries is part of the list yet, EU citizens will not be required to get an ETA this year.

All people who get an ETA once they are required to do so will be allowed to enter and stay in the UK for up to six months to visit family or friends, as well as for business, travel, or study purposes.

Moreover, those who get an ETA will also be allowed to enter and stay in the UK for up to three months on the Creative Worker visa concession, and they will also be permitted to transit through the UK.

The application for an ETA will need to be made on the UK ETA app or online through the official website of the government.

According to the UK authorities, the processing times will be around three working days. However, depending on whether the authorities need to carry out further checks, it might take more or fewer days.

“You’ll need to apply on the UK ETA app or online on GOV.UK. You’ll usually get a decision within three working days, but you may get a quicker decision. It may take longer than three working days if we need to make further checks,” the statement of the UK government.

As for the exact cost of an ETA, no information has been made available yet, but the price is expected to be lower than when applying for a visa. Each traveler will have to apply for their own ETA, including children, and once the application is approved, everyone will receive an email confirmation.

By introducing the ETA, the UK wants to strengthen its borders and security further. Several other countries have similar systems in place, and the EU is expected to launch one soon, too – the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).