The UK Government has taken ambitious step to expand electronic travel authorization (ETA) on all travellers starting 2025, to UK using a visa free passport. This will be a “game changer” to the visa free travel, a coveted freedom enjoyed by travellers, of just boarding a plane with just a passport, up in flames. From now on, additional electronically obtained authorization is required for short stays.
An ETA is an advance travel permission required by specified “non-visa nationals”, when coming to the UK as a visitor or transiting the UK. The ETA should not be confused with eVisa. The ETA will commence for eligible 80+ countries with visa waiver agreement, with exception of UK/Irish citizens from:
- Non Europeans – 8 January 2025 (eg. US, Canada, Australia)
- Europeans – 2 April 2025 (eg. EU member states)
ETA demonstrates our commitment to enhance security through new technology and embedding a modern immigration system. ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller’s passport and ensure more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK, helping to prevent abuse of our immigration system.
– Home Office
The introduction of ETAs is in line with the approach many other countries have taken to border security, including the US and Australia, said Home Office.
ETA Validity
A UK ETA is valid for multiple entries for two years or until the applicant’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. It may be used for temporary stays for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, study, certain types of work, or transit. Having an ETA does not guarantee entry into the UK. ETA does not guarantee entry into the UK
ETA Restrictions
The ETA does not confer automatic rights for these activities:
- stay in the UK for longer than 6 months
- do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless you’re doing a permitted paid engagement or event or work on the Creative Worker visa concession
- claim public funds (benefits)
- live in the UK through frequent or successive visits
- marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership
Vetting
UK will be doing strict vetting on the identity of applicants travelling to UK based an applicant’s identity based on adverse information on national security databases, self-declared criminality, involvement in war crimes, terrorism or extremism.
Securing our borders is our No.1 priority.
– UK Home Office
Reasons for ETA Refusal
ETA can be refused on the following grounds as per Home office
- Secretary of State has personally directed that the applicant be excluded from the UK
- applicant is the subject of an exclusion order
- applicant is the subject of a deportation order, or a decision to make a deportation order
- has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they have received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more
- has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas unless more than 12 months have passed since the date of conviction
- not conducive to the public good because of their conduct, character, associations or other reasons (including convictions which do not fall within the criminality grounds).
- failed to disclose their involvement in alleged war crimes, terrorism or extremism on an application for ETA, whereby Home Office records contain or indicate information to the contrary
- breach of immigration laws, overstayed their permission, deception or illegal entrant
- false representations were made, or false documents or false information was submitted or relevant facts not disclosed.
- applicant has failed to pay litigation costs awarded to the Home Office.
There is no right to administrative review or appeal against a decision made on an ETA application.
The European Union (EU) countries jointly will be commencing similar system ETIAS on visa exempt countries from 2025.