News report | | 24-02-2025 | ±2 minutes reading time

Travellers from a series of countries who could previously travel to the UK without a visa will soon have to apply for an ETA in advance of their trip. In a few weeks, and as a result of the Brexit, European travellers will also need an electronic travel authorisation.

Changes in several areas of the UK visa policy

The UK has recently made several changes to their visa policy. For instance, on 8 January 2025, 48 more nationalities were added to the list of countries requiring an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) to travel to the UK.

The price of the ETA UK could also increase. An important price increase is currently under discussion in the UK parliament. If approved, the price will rise from GBP 10 (approx. EUR 12) to GBP 16 (approx. EUR 19).

As of April 2nd, 2025, European travellers will also have to apply for an ETA to travel to the UK.

Plans for the transit visa have been cancelled

Initially, the idea was that the ETA would be also mandatory also for travellers who travel to the UK for a stopover. However, the UK authorities have turned back on those plans. Passengers making a stopover at the two main UK airports will not have to apply for an ETA.

The travel industry has reacted positively to this announcement. There were fears that the competitiveness of UK airports would be compromised if this plan was implemented. A spokesperson for London Heathrow Airport stated that if the proposal was to be approved, the airport would lose four million passengers annually. Heathrow Airport's CEO has expressed his satisfaction that the government has listened to the travel industry's concerns and taken the necessary measures. A spokesman for the English airlines association said he now hopes the temporary exception will become permanent.

The exception affects two English airports

Currently, London and Manchester airports are the only locations where travellers are allowed to make a stopover without an ETA. This is because these are the only two airports in the UK that have the necessary infrastructure for this. Also, the two flights must actually be connecting flights, where travellers do not have to go through customs or check in again.

Do you need an ETA for your trip?

If you want to visit the UK for tourism, a business or a short study trip after 2 April 2025, or if you will make a stopover in the UK and leave the transit zone, you will need to apply for an ETA UK. You will be able to do it soon on this website.

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e-Visa.ie is a commercial and professional visa agency, and supports travellers in obtaining, among others, the United Kingdom ETA. e-Visa.ie is an official partner of the International Air Transport Association, IATA, with membership number 57231226, acts as an intermediary, is no law firm, nor does it employ lawyers, does not provide legal advice, and is in no way part of any government. You can also apply for a ETA directly with the immigration service (16 GBP per ETA, via apply-for-an-eta.homeoffice.gov.uk). However, not with our level of support. If you submit your application via e-Visa.ie, our support centre is available to you 24/7. In addition, we manually check your application and all the documents you provide before submitting it to the immigration authorities on your behalf. If we suspect any errors or omissions while doing so, we will personally contact you to ensure that your application can still be processed quickly and correctly. To use our services, you pay us 16 GBP in consular fees, which we pay to the immigration service on your behalf, as well as € 26,45 in service fees as compensation for our services, including VAT. Our services have saved many travellers from major problems during their trip. Should an application be rejected despite our support and verification, we will refund the full purchase price (unless an application for a previous United Kingdom ETA was rejected for the same traveller). Read more about our services here.