From VOL.AT Newsdesk – September 11th, 2024 6:04 p.m. (act. September 12th, 2024 7:20 a.m.)
©Symbolfoto: APA/AFP/JUSTIN TALLIS
From April 2, 2025, travellers from EU countries and Switzerland will need a paid electronic travel authorisation to enter the UK.
Future travel to Great Britain will be a little more difficult. The Home Office in London announced that visitors from countries without visa requirements, such as EU countries or Switzerland, will need an electronic travel authorization. The new regulation will take effect for Europeans from April 2, 2025. For other nationalities, however, it will come into force on January 8.
11.85 euros for an ETA
The approval, which is ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) costs 10 pounds (11.85 euros) and must be renewed at least every two years. It allows repeated entries into the United Kingdom and stays of up to six months. According to a statement from the Home Office, the permits are “digitally linked to the traveler’s passport and ensure more comprehensive security checks”.
Who does not need to apply for a permit
Europeans who have permanent residency under the Brexit agreement do not need to apply for the permit. The same applies to Irish citizens.
A similar procedure has existed for some time for entry into the USA. The EU also plans to introduce an electronic travel authorization for visa-free visitors in the first half of 2025. British citizens will then also have to obtain authorization to enter EU countries.
- To enable closer exchange, the EU is pushing forward the idea of a Youth Mobility Scheme, like the one the UK already has with some non-EU countries. This would allow young people to live and work in the UK for a certain period of time without needing a visa.
- According to experts, the fact that Great Britain has no longer been part of the EU customs union and the single market since 2021 has severely damaged the British economy. Since then, despite a free trade agreement, there have been trade barriers, such as new tariffs and more bureaucracy. In surveys, around two-thirds of Britons are now in favor of returning to the EU.
