European, Canadian and American tourists will not need a “visa” to travel to the United Kingdom in 2025, but an electronic travel authorisation “ETA”. Explanations.

Over the past few days, many media outlets have been reporting that the UK will require European and North American travelers to have a “visa”, “electronic visa” or “eVisa” to enter the country in 2025.

This information is not entirely accurate, as the British authorities have no intention of reintroducing a visa requirement for these countries, but rather of continuing the digitization of their border and immigration system by rolling out, for these nationalities, a travel authorization system recently introduced for visitors from the Persian Gulf.

With the evolution of digital technologies, many countries, including the UK, have introduced electronic systems to simplify and modernize entry procedures for visitors and potential residents. Among these systems, two types of authorization stand out across the Channel: eVisa (Online Immigration Status) and ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation).

Although both are electronic documents, they meet different needs and apply to different audiences.

Difference between UK eVisa and ETA

The main difference between the UK eVisa and ETA is their function.

The “eVisa” is a digital document that replaces physical visas and confirms your immigration status online. It is intended for people who already have a UK visa or residence permit.

On the other hand, the “ETA” is a prior authorisation required for visa-exempt travellers who wish to enter the UK for a short period of time, such as for tourism or business.

eVisa (Online immigration status)

As the UK Home Office states in its September 10 press release, “people who need a UK visa to live, work or study in the UK are now issued with an eVisa, providing digital proof of immigration status, instead of physical immigration documents which can be lost, stolen, or tampered with.”

“eVisas mean people no longer have to wait for or travel to collect a physical document, streamlining their experience. The government is asking migrants in the UK who currently use a physical immigration document, including a biometric residence permit (BRP), or a passport containing ink stamps or visa vignette stickers, to take action now and create an online account to access their eVisa,” adds the Home Office.

In simple terms, the eVisa replaces physical documents with an online registration of UK immigration status.

ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation)

ETA, or Electronic Travel Authorization, is a system introduced by the United Kingdom in 2023 for nationals of visa-exempt nations to enter the country on a short-term basis. It is a security measure allowing travelers to be pre-approved before arriving in the UK.

Unlike the eVisa, the ETA is intended for short stays (generally for tourism, business or personal visits of less than six months).

The ETA is valid for 2 years, or until the passport expires, and allows multiple trips to the UK during its validity. The ETA costs £10, or around €12 / $13.

The full UK ETA deployment schedule

As has long been the practice in the United States (ESTA), Canada (AVE), the Seychelles (ETA), New Zealand (NZeTA); or more recently Israel (ETA-IL) and soon the European Union (ETIAS); the UK is therefore preparing to impose an electronic travel authorisation on its visa-exempt visitors.

November 15, 2023: UK ETA launched

Since October 25, 2023, citizens of Qatar have been able to apply for an ETA for visa-free travel to the UK. The ETA requirement came into force on November 15, 2023 for Qataris.

February 22, 2024: expansion of ETA to 6 new countries

As of February 1, 2024, the UK has added Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates to the ETA program. Since February 22, citizens of these countries have been required to present an ETA to travel to the UK.

October 8, 2024: Jordan no longer eligible for ETA

On Tuesday, the British authorities announced that Jordanian nationals will no longer be able to enter the country with an ETA from October 8, 2024, and will therefore need to obtain a visa.

January 8, 2025: UK extends ETA to 49 visa-exempt countries

On September 10, 2024, the British authorities announced that nationals of 49 countries and territories would need an ETA to enter the UK without a visa from January 8, 2025.

From November 27, 2024, citizens of the following countries will be able to apply online for their ETA on the government portal GOV.UK or from the “UK ETA” mobile app for iOS and Android:

• Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong, Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macau, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, Taiwan, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United States and Uruguay.

2 April 2025: European travellers must obtain an ETA to travel to the UK

The final stage in the roll-out of the ETA system for visa-exempt travellers is the inclusion of European countries in the program.

From April 2, 2025, nationals of the following 34 European countries and territories will need an ETA to travel visa-free to the UK, and will be able to apply for their Electronic Travel Authorisation from March 5, 2025:

• Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and the Vatican.