From Wednesday, England’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme will be extended and apply to over 80 countries, requiring travellers to apply in advance for short stays without a visa.
Visitors to England, Scotland and Wales will need an ETA, as will visitors to the six counties. Transfer passengers through Heathrow will also need an ETA.
The phased rollout started with Qatari citizens in November 2023 and will extend ETA requirements to 48 countries, including the US and Australia, beginning 8 January: Antigua , Argentina, Australia, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong , Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Macao , Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Samoa, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan , Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, United States and Uruguay.
From 2 April 2025, 34 European countries will also require ETA applications, which can take up to three days to process, covering two years of travel: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, 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 Vatican City.
Concerns have been raised about the impact of ETA on transit traffic, with Heathrow reporting a decline in transit passengers from Qatar in the early months of the scheme.
