From 5 March 2025, the United Kingdom Home Office will accept applications for the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) from eligible European nationals. This Electronic Travel Authorization news follows the successful rollout, replacing the old UK Electronic Visa Waiver scheme for citizens of Gulf Nations, including Qatar, in October 2023, followed by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in February 2024, plus citizens from many other countries worldwide, including Canada and the United States, in November 2025.
European nationals will be required to have an ETA if they intend to travel to the UK for short stays from 2 April 2025 onwards unless:
- They have a short stay exemption,
- They’re a dual national of the UK,
- They have received UK immigration status.
The application for an Electronic Travel Authorization has been designed to be streamlined and remove previous entry processes, including the UK Visa Waiver which is now obsolete.
All persons travelling, whether individually, in a group, or with family must complete and pay for the application, including young children and babies.
Applications for a ETA for the UK as a European national are now open to citizens of the following European countries:
- 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
- Vatican City
To complete the application, travellers will need a valid passport and a recent photo for identity authentication. They will also need a valid payment method to pay the non-refundable processing fee.
According to the UK government it can take “up to 3 working days” for a decision to be made on a UK ETA application, however it can be much faster.
To apply for a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation, European nationals can apply through the UK ETA online application.
Once applied for, they must wait for confirmation of success before they can travel to the UK. Decisions are issued quickly by email, and they can use the UK ETA as a ‘digital permission slip’ for UK travel.
The ETA is attached to the traveller’s passport and is typically valid for up to 2 years, enabling individuals to travel to the UK multiple times during that period. If the passport expires before the 2-year timeframe elapses, the passport holder will need to make a new Electronic Travel Authorization application.
An ETA cannot be used:
- To stay in the UK for longer than 6 months.
- To work (either paid or unpaid).
- Claim any public funds (benefits).
- Travel to the UK with the intention of residing in the country through successive trips.
- To get married or enter into a civil partnership.
Europeans intending to do any of the above will need to find the correct visa for the UK for their intended purpose instead.
Finally, it is important for all travellers to keep up to date with the latest UK visa news before they travel. The ETA scheme is updated periodically – most recently when Jordan was excluded in September 2024 and airside transit passengers were exempted in January 2025.