The effects of Brexit are starting to be felt by European citizens: starting from April 2, 2025in fact, to travel to the United Kingdom even European citizens will need a paid visa, the ETA.ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) It is a prior travel authorization, that is, a e-visa linked to the passport which can be obtained through a online form or through appwith a cost of 10 poundsequivalent to 11,85 euros. The ETA will serve for travel in the UKbut does not allow you to stay in the country for more than 6 months. The issuing of the electronic visa allows you to stay in the United Kingdom for up to a total of 6 months over 2 yearseven making multiple trips, and it will be necessary even just for the transit within the territory of the United Kingdom, even without passing through border controls. While for citizens of the European Union (including infants and children) the obligation will come into force on 2 April 2025, for non-EU citizens it will come into force as early asJanuary 8, 2025.
How ETA works and how to get it
With the‘AGE It will be possible to travel to the UK for a period up to 6 months for reasons related to the tourism, to visit family or friends or for short study periods And Work. With the ETA it will also be possible to enter the United Kingdom if you are carrying out a paid event or doing work that falls under the scope of the visa. Creative worker, for a period of up to 3 months. However, it will not be possible to stay or work in the United Kingdom for a period exceeding 6 months: in this case, it is necessary to apply for a real work visa.
To request an ETA you need to fill out a online form on the UK government website or Download the mobile app (the name of the app is UK ETA). The steps to follow are:
- Take a photo of your passport
- Scan your face with the facial recognition camera
- Answer some questions
- Pay the fee for issuing the visa
The decision to accept or refuse takes place within 3 working days but in case there is an urgent trip to go to the UK you can travel while waiting for the response and any confirmation: in this way the ETA and the passport will be linked. Each person who applies for an ETA must pay the cost of 10 pounds, including the children and minors.
Who will not need ETA
There are some categories that do not need to apply for an ETA and they are in particular:
- those who already have permission to study, work or live in the UK
- who already has a visa
- who holds an Irish or British passport
- who holds a British Overseas Territories passport
Non-EU countries for which ETA is already mandatory
In addition to the European Union countries, there is a list of Non-EU countries who have already been allowed to apply for an ETA and for whom it is therefore already mandatory. This gradual process has started in November 2023 and includes the Gulf Cooperation Council countriesborn in 1981 and including the Arab countries of the Persian Gulf. They are in particular:
- Bahrain
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
A peculiar case: Jordan
A particular case, which can also be found on the UK government web portal, concerns the Jordan: starting from February 2024, in fact, it was possible for Jordanian citizens to apply for an ETA. Since last September 10th, however, this permit has been revoked and the Jordanian citizens will no longer be able to benefit from ETA but will instead have to apply for a visa. However, Jordanian citizens who had already booked a trip to the UK before 10 September 2024 will still be able to travel by 8 October using the ETA. If the trip is after 8 October, the ETA will be cancelled and a visa application will have to be made. The reason appears to be linked to the British government’s concerns regarding theimmigration and national securitydue to the large increase in asylum requests occurred in 2022 and because Jordanian citizens often used the UK as a transit country to reach the United States via Latin America.
