UK Electronic Travel Authorisation: What is the new visa-free entry system and what effect will it have?

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The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme is now in operation – however presently just for guests from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE. It prices £10 and is legitimate for 2 years, until the traveller’s passport expires sooner.

The authorities describes the ETA as “a new requirement for people who do not need a visa to come to the UK”. It will be wanted even for individuals who are “airside” at Heathrow for 2 hours between worldwide flights.

Announced the plan in March 2023, the-then immigration minister, Robert Jenrick, mentioned: “ETAs will enhance our border security by increasing our knowledge about those seeking to come to the UK and preventing the arrival of those who pose a threat. It will also improve travel for legitimate visitors.

“The cost of an ETA will be one of the best value in the world compared to similar international schemes. This small additional cost to visitors will enable us to bolster the security of the UK border and keep our communities safe.”

For British travellers, there needs to be no direct influence. But journey business figures say guidelines connected to the ETA will drawback UK airways and tourism, notably to Northern Ireland.

These are the key questions and solutions.

What is deliberate?

Most guests to the UK don’t must undergo the advanced and costly enterprise of making use of for a British visa; they merely flip up with their passport and apply for entry.

But that is all altering with a new on-line allow, the Electronic Travel Authorisation, The ETA will be obligatory for all “non-visa” abroad guests to the UK – aside from Irish individuals, who’re allowed free motion beneath the Common Travel Agreement.

The place to begin of the journey to the UK is not related – it is the traveller’s nationality that counts.

The ETA is loosely modelled on the US Esta and is electronically linked to the traveller’s passport. The value is £10. The allow will be legitimate for repeated journeys inside two years or till the passport expires, whichever is sooner.

When is it taking place?

The roll-out started with Qatari nationals travelling to or through the UK on 15 November 2023. On 22 February 2024 the programme was prolonged to nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

In 2023 the authorities mentioned ETAs can be a requirement for all guests who don’t want a visa for brief stays by the finish of 2024. But the pledge to have the system totally in place this 12 months has been quietly dropped.

The authorities now says: “Other nationalities do not need to apply yet and timings for when the scheme opens for them will be confirmed in due course.”

How do travellers receive an ETA?

Online by means of a UK authorities web site or through the app (seek for UK ETA on the Apple app retailer or Google Play).

You want to produce {a photograph} and reply a set of questions. The authorities says: “This will ensure we have information on those seeking to come to the UK helping to prevent dangerous individuals, such as criminals, entering the UK.”

A choice on every case is anticipated “usually” inside three days. In observe, present related schemes in the US, Canada and elsewhere ship approval extra shortly.

Commercial websites which are designed to tempt candidates to pay further charges have already appeared, reminiscent of etauk.uk, which is primarily based in Spain and has no reference to the UK authorities.

Who will test the ETA?

For the majority of travellers, airways and ferry firms will be anticipated to confirm the ETA standing earlier than the passenger boards a flight or ship to the UK.

Ferries from France to Dover, Eurostar trains to London and Eurotunnel shuttles to Folkestone have “juxtaposed controls” and UK Border Force employees will test the allow whereas the traveller is in Continental Europe.

On arrival, UK Border Force will test the ETA and ask supplementary questions earlier than deciding whether or not or to not permit the traveller in. The authorities says: “An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK.”

Non-Irish and British travellers from the Republic of Ireland to Northern Ireland will not face checks however are anticipated to have an ETA anyway.

What about transit passengers?

The UK authorities has determined to change into an outlier by insisting that all connecting travellers should receive an ETA. This will make London Heathrow airport a more difficult transit hub than the important continental European rivals, plus airports reminiscent of Istanbul and Dubai.

The almost-worldwide conference is that passengers who’re connecting from one gate to a different at a hub – not passing by means of passport management – want solely meet the necessities for his or her ultimate vacation spot.

But when the ETA scheme takes full effect, all passengers besides British and Irish nationals will want a allow – even when they’re merely switching from one British Airways aircraft to a different at Heathrow Terminal 5, or making a Star Alliance connection at Terminal 2.

Travel business specialists predict abroad travellers with a alternative of routings will change to different hubs to keep away from additional purple tape and value – harming Heathrow and resulting in a droop in prospects for British Airways and Virgin Atlantic.

About 30 per cent of passengers at Heathrow are in transit.

Thomas Woldbye, chief govt of Heathrow, mentioned: “It clearly reduces the competitiveness of the hub that we have built in Heathrow, which I think is critical to the UK.

“Honestly, I think it’s a mistake. I think that should be changed as fast as possible.”

Paul Charles, director of The PC Agency and former Virgin Atlantic communications director, mentioned: “Taxing transit is tantamount to failure. If other airports offer free transit then they will pick up market share.

“Airports should be zones of ease, enabling seamless travel. This proposed tax needs removing.”

Rob Burgess, editor of the frequent flyer web site Head for Points, says: “Why would anyone pay £40 for a family of four to get an ETA purely so they can transit in the UK on the way from, say, the US to Croatia? All of the other European hub carriers will be laughing as they pick up this business.”

What does the authorities say?

A spokesperson for the Home Office mentioned: ”We are introducing an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme to reinforce border safety by growing our data about these in search of to return to the UK and stopping the arrival of those that pose a menace.

“Requiring transit passengers to obtain an ETA stops people who may use connecting flights to avoid gaining permission to travel to the UK. We are keeping this under review as we continue to roll out the scheme.”

Government on-line details about the new scheme says: “Requiring those transiting to obtain an ETA will stop transit being a future loophole for people to use to avoid needing an ETA. This is in line with the US Esta scheme.”

If I’m altering planes in the US I would like an Esta…

There is an important distinction: all passengers in transit by means of the United States are required to clear Customs & Border Protection and be legally admitted to the US. In principle they may determine, as a substitute of transferring at Atlanta, Chicago or Houston, to remain in America for as much as three months.

This coverage doesn’t apply at Heathrow (or elsewhere in Europe) for international-to-international journeys. UK Border Force will not test passengers on arrival at Heathrow if they’re persevering with their journey internationally.

Furthermore, few US airports depend on transit passengers for enterprise in the means that Heathrow does.

Besides the potential monetary harm to airways and Heathrow airport, the authorities resolution might additionally influence British passengers. Quite a few routes and frequencies are viable solely due to the quantity of connecting passengers. If providers are minimize, alternative will scale back and fares might rise.

Any different objections?

Yes: from the inbound tourism business, notably in Northern Ireland. The UK has already excluded greater than 200 million European Union residents from entry by insisting they carry passports moderately than their nationwide ID playing cards. Bringing in an ETA will add another hurdle.

There is particular concern in Northern Ireland. Typically guests to the island of Ireland will arrive in Dublin or, for some US travellers, Shannon. They enter the Republic and usually journey round by automotive, public transport or tour coach.

At current they will enter Northern Ireland with out formality, to go to sights reminiscent of Titanic Belfast, the Giant’s Causeway or the Game of Thrones studio tour. By the finish of 2024 they will all legally require an ETA to cross the (virtually invisible) border.

Individual vacationers might inadvertently break the regulation by crossing the border and remaining blissfully unaware of their transgression.

But tour teams will observe the guidelines. Operators ought to guarantee each passenger on the bus has an ETA. Or the tour agency might merely exclude Northern Ireland from Irish itineraries.

What might the effect be?

At current 60 per cent of non-UK vacationers to Northern Ireland additionally go to the Republic, in keeping with the Northern Ireland Tourism Alliance – which says the plan “will be hugely detrimental to tourism on the island”.

The group estimates guests from Europe and North America might fall by 25 per cent. It says: “The risk is that many global tour operators will exclude Belfast and NI from their itineraries as no longer a feasible option.”

The authorities in London has confirmed that there will be no exemptions for vacationers remaining solely inside the island of Ireland.

In June 2023, the-then Northern Ireland minister, Steve Baker, mentioned: “It is the government’s position that we should not create a loophole through the ETA scheme.

“I hope that we will be able to work together to ensure that there is a consistent and coherent communication strategy to ensure that tourists know they must register for an ETA and must continue to comply with the UK’s immigration requirements.”