Electronic Travel Authorisation ETA explained as new visa rules launch

Every year, the UK welcomes a staggering 38 million tourists to its shores.

But if you’re one of those travellers heading to Old Blighty in 2025, there’s a new visa scheme you’ll need to take note of.

The Electronic Travel Authorisation has been launched for Europeans visiting the UK, after previously coming into force for non-Europeans in January.

Prior to the ETA, visitors from the EU’s Schengen area (a borderless collective of 29 countries) could visit the UK for up to 90 days, every 180 days, without a visa.

However, the new scheme means that tourists from destinations such as France and Germany — who make up a large proportion of the UK’s tourists— will need to apply.

Here’s everything you need to know about the new visa scheme.

What are the new travel requirements needed to visit the UK?

Europeans are now required to have an ETA to visit or transit through the UK as of April, 2, 2025.

The ETA lasts for two years, and visitors can travel to the UK as many times as they want during this time — but they must not stay for longer than six months on one trip.

The ETA has already been launched for non-European citizens, which came into force on January 8, 2025.

It means that non-European citizens visiting or transiting through the UK without a visa now need to obtain a £10 digital permit.

Do I need to apply for an ETA if I live in the UK?

You do not need an ETA if you:

• Are a British or Irish citizen
• You already have a visa to live, work or study in the UK
• You are a dual citizen with a British or Irish passport
• You’re travelling with a British overseas territories citizen passport
• You live in Ireland and are travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
• You are a child travelling on the France-UK school trip travel information form

ETAs are only for Europeans travelling from their home country, either to visit the UK, or pass through it on the way to another destination.

How did I apply for an ETA and how much does it cost?

The ETA for the UK costs £10, but this fee will increase to £16 on April 9, 2025.

You can apply online via the UK government website.

Do I need an EES visa if I’m travelling from the UK to Europe and how is it different to ETIAS?

EES is an automated system that registers travellers from non-EU countries every time they cross a border into or out of the EU. 

The system will register the person’s name, the type of travelling document they’re using, biometric data (fingerprints and captured facial images), and the date and place of entry and exit. 

Once the data has been captured, it’s expected to remain in the system for three years. After this time has passed, it will be erased from the system.

Travellers won’t need to re-register this data if they travel to multiple Schengen Zone countries within the three-year period.

The EU says on its website that ‘the main advantage of the EES is saving time,’ because it replaces passport stamping and ‘automates border control procedures’ to make travelling more efficient.

It remains to be seen how the system will impact travel, but in a poll by Co-op Insurance, 46% of British travellers said they felt put off by the process of storing this type of data for three years.

The EES scheme is different to the European Travel Information and Authorisation Scheme (ETIAS), which will run alongside the former and require British travellers to apply for a visa waiver to visit most EU countries.

How much will the EES scheme cost?

The expected fee of the visa waiver is €7 (£6) to visit any country in the Schengen Area.

The EU Commission insists this is ‘way cheaper’ than the US Esta, which costs $14 (€12.50 or £10.75).

The fee will apply to travellers aged between 18 and 70, but the visa will be free for children and anyone over 70.

Will UK citizens need to use EES?

Yes. As a result of the UK voting to leave the European Union, Brits will have to follow the same rules as other countries outside of the EU.

You will have to scan your passport at an automated self-service kiosk before crossing the border.

This process will sadly replace the manual stamping of passports for visitors to countries in the EU and Schengen Area, who are not themselves nationals of EU or Schengen countries. 

EES will apply when entering the 25 EU countries and four non-EU countries below:

What date will the new EES and ETIAS rules start?

The exact date for both changes is still to be confirmed.

The introduction of EES has already been delayed several times; it was originally meant to be implemented in 2022, and was then scheduled for May 2023 before it was pushed back to the end of last year.

After that, it was slated to come into effect on November 10 2024, but it was postponed again.

On 5 March, EU Home Affairs Ministers confirmed a new timeline, with anew expected date of October 2025 for EES. ETIAS is expected to follow in the last quarter of 2026.

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