British visitors to the EU will soon need to pay a visa waiver fee before travelling.
In late 2023, the UK began its rollout of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, requiring nationals of certain countries to apply for an ETA online before visiting the UK. At present, only nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates can apply for an ETA, but the scheme will be expanded to nationals of other states in 2025. You can read more about this here.
The ETA follows in the footsteps of other digital border schemes already in place in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, and the United States of America.
The EU is introducing its own scheme – the Electronic Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) – in May 2025. This will follow the launch of the EU’s entry-exit system (EES) in November 2024, which will require all British citizens entering the Schengen Area to be fingerprinted and provide a facial biometric.
Under Etias, British citizens need to apply for an online Etias authorisation in advance of their travel and pay a fee of £6 – save for applicants aged under 18 or over 70, for whom there is no fee payable. The EU recommends that visitors obtain their Etias authorisation before any costs are incurred on accommodation or flights, to mitigate the risk associated with a refused application.
As part of the application, British citizens must provide their name, address, contact details, passport details, and occupation or educational establishment (for students). They will also need to give the reason for their trip, confirm which Schengen Area country they are visiting first, and provide details of the address that they are staying at on the first night of their visit. Any serious criminal convictions from the past 20 years must also be disclosed.
An Etias authorisation lasts for three years, or until the authorisation-holder’s passport has three months’ remaining to expiry, whichever is sooner.
Although Etias is launching in May 2025, the EU have said that there will be a six-month transition period during which visitors will not be required to obtain an Etias authorisation. This should help to reduce the impact on those travelling to Europe on their summer holidays. From November 2025, however, obtaining an Etias authorisation is expected to be mandatory for British citizens.
If you have any questions about Etias or visiting the UK, please get in touch at [email protected]
