Tuesday, October 15, 2024, 00:15
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Brexit has complicated the United Kingdom’s relations with the European Union in many ways. Not only is it more difficult to exchange products and merchandise, or regularize workers. Obstacles will soon become greater for those visiting the country temporarily with the intention of sightseeing, visiting family or doing business.
From April 2, 2025, citizens from the European Union who want to travel temporarily to the United Kingdom will need to have an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).
This is a travel permit digitally linked to the passport, which the British authorities have launched – it was created in November 2023 – to guarantee stricter security controls at the country’s borders, “which helps prevent the abuse of our immigration system,” according to the official website of the British government.
In practice it works like a visa, which is currently not necessary for European Union citizens who make visits of less than six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, for business or studies.
Those who visit the country for a maximum of three months with a visa for creative workers, or transit through a UK airport (even if they are not going to go through border control) will also need an ETA authorization.
Mandatory for all ages
The Electronic Travel Authorization will be mandatory for community citizens – of any age, which includes children and babies – who want to enter British or Northern Ireland as visitors from April 2, 2025, and can be requested from on March 5 of that year.
It is currently mandatory for citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, but in the coming months it will be extended in different phases to tourists from other countries: on January 8, non-Europeans will need it, and since April 2, the community ones.
An ETA will not be required for those who have an entry visa, a British or Irish passport (including overseas territories), or permission to live, work or study in the UK.
Authorization can be requested on the page web from the British Government or in the ‘UK ETA’ mobile application, available for both Android and iOS.
To start the process you need the passport with which you will travel (a photocopy or digital passport is not valid), access to an email, and a credit, debit, Apple Pay or Google Pay card. In addition, photographs of the passport and face of the applicant will have to be uploaded or taken.
The response from the British authorities will “generally” arrive within three business days, although it is also possible to obtain it sooner. The applicant will then receive an email confirming that they already have an ETA, linked to the passport with which they made the request.
It costs 10 pounds (almost 12 euros, at the current exchange rate) and will be valid for two years, or until the passport expires. With it you can travel the United Kingdom in that period of time as many times as you want. If a new passport is obtained, another authorization will have to be requested.
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