An ETA will give permission to travel to the UK, and it is electronically linked to a passport.

According to the information provided, this measure, which will come into force for travellers from countries such as Qatar as early as October 25, will be extended and should cover all European Union countries as early as next year.

In addition to the European Union, as of February 2024, citizens of countries such as Jordan, Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates are also obliged to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization as of February 2024.

Over the next year, the United Kingdom will add to this program the remaining countries in the world that do not require a visa to enter British territory, as well as Latin American countries such as Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico , Paraguay and Uruguay.

This Electronic Travel Authorization will be mandatory both for travel for tourist purposes, as well as for business or student trips, as long as the stay in the United Kingdom is less than six months.

The British authorities have already made it known, however, that there will be no exceptions for unforeseen business trips, even though the objective is to issue this authorization within a period of three working days.

To request this authorization, travellers must consult a website that will be created for the purpose and submit a photograph that allows the British authorities to register biometric data, also answering some questions about the reason for the trip.

For the time being, there is still no indication of what the price of this Electronic Travel Authorization will be, although it is already known that it will be valid for two years, allowing multiple entries into British territory.

Europeans residing in the United Kingdom before Brexit and who have the status of “permanent resident” will not be subject to obtaining this authorization in order to enter the country, the same principle also applying to those residing in the Republic of Ireland.