Citizens of the 27 countries of the European Union traveling to the UK will need to apply for an “electronic travel authorization” – ETA as early as next year. And it will be paid.
Until now, the cost of an ETA to the UK has remained unknown, and on June 7, the Department of Visas and Immigration of the UK Home Office finally announced that the electronic permit will cost £10 and will be valid for two years.
However, if the passport expires in less than two years, you will need to get a new ETA.
It remains to wait for a specific date in 2024, from which it will be impossible for Europeans to enter London without an ETA.
But the “reference point” for citizens of other countries is already known.
According to the UK Department of Visas and Immigration, the first people who will be required to obtain an ETA are citizens of Qatar. The new requirement will apply to them from November 15 this year.
A few months later, from February 22, 2024, citizens of several other Gulf States will be included in this scheme: Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE.
Deadlines for EU citizens and travelers from other countries such as the US, Australia, and New Zealand who can enter the UK for tourism and business purposes without a visa are expected to be announced in the coming months.
The only country that will not suffer from the implementation of this scheme will be Ireland.
Foreigners who have permission to live, work or study in the UK will not need to apply for an ETA. Those who arrive from countries with a visa regime will not need an electronic permit – they need to apply for a tourist or business visa, in any case, to travel to the UK.
The idea to introduce a separate permit for travel to Foggy Albion arose after London left the EU, and the EU authorities introduced a similar scheme called the European Travel Information and Authorization System. It will enter into force next year.
An EU travel permit will cost 7 euros and will be valid for three years.