The new electronic travel authorisation (ETA) is a new requirement from the UK Government for citizens from 48 countries. This includes Australia, New Zealand, USA, Canada, Japan and Samoa. British and Irish citizens are exempt.
Further nationalities from most European countries such as Germany, Italy, Spain and Sweden will need an ETA to travel to the UK from 2 April 2025.
The ETA is not a visa, but a digital entrance pass to travel to the UK, and is only for visitors who previously did not require a visa. It is similar to the ESTA necessary for Australian and New Zealand passport holders travelling to the USA.
The mandatory application for the UK, which can be completed online, is necessary for all relevant travellers entering the UK from January 8, 2025.
The ETA application takes around 10-20 minutes to complete and you will be asked to provide your passport details a photo of your passport and a digital photo. While it does cost £10 (approx. $20AU/$22NZD), it remains valid for two years.
To apply, make sure you head only to the official UK Government Website or the UK ETA app.
If you are travelling soon, make sure you fill out the ETA as soon as possible as the Government says it will generally take around 3 working days, though you may get a quicker decision. Occasionally, it may take longer than 3 working days.
