UK ATA: Europeans traveling to Britain require online permits from April 9

The UK has introduced a new online entry requirements for European visitors since Wednesday, which implements a Digital Electronic Travel Authority (ETA) permit as part of safety measures.
European travelers should receive an ETA permit, initially the price of £ 10 (12 Euro), with increasing to £ 16 from 9 April. The system has already been operational for visitors to the US, Canada and other visa-free nations since the British’s departure of the European Union in 2020.
Phil Douglas, head of the UK Border Force, confirmed this implementation as part of a broad global rollout, emphasized his primary function as a safety measure.
The aim of the system is to accelerate admission processes, enabling the background check on immigration history and criminal records. Douglas said that approved passengers will benefit from cross -border across through agets.
He said, “Kwid Pro Quo for the individual, however, is that we are building a contactless range, so if they are cleaned for entry, they will be able to use our new agets and they will be able to pass through the range more quickly,” they said.

During the initial buffer period, it is expected to continue till “September or October”, passengers may still proceed with their journey. The ETA remains valid for two years, permission lasts for six months.
Applications were opened for Europeans in March, covering about 30 countries, except Ireland. Applicants should submit passport photos and facial images through smartphone apps or government websites, usually 10 minutes to complete.
As long as most applications receive sharp reactions, officers recommend allowing three working days. The requirement extends to all ages, although transit passengers who do not cross the UK boundaries are exempted after the concerns of Heathro Airport about European connection traffic.
Heathro, who handled 84 million passengers in 2024 from the European Union, initially launched a plan for Qatar in 2023, which before expanding to the Gulf nations. As of January, it consisted of about 50 additional countries including Argentina, South Korea and New Zealand.