Citizens of the EU will need to pay a €11 travel permit to enter the UK from April of next year. The ETA or the Electronic Travel Authorisation will be valid for two years and shall be paid by all EU nationals travelling to the UK without a visa. 

The fee is introduced to support the security control on British borders and to fight abuse of the UK immigration systems. 

The ETA scheme was already introduced last year for other countries but will now be extended to EU citizens and other Schengen signatories. 

“Under plans announced by UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, the non-refundable charge will apply to all visitors to the UK, including babies and children who do not have a visa or permission to stay, work or study,” CNN informed. 

Registration in the UK’s ETA programme initially applied only to Qatari nationals but was extended to citizens of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. In November, the ETA will also include Americans, and in spring 2025, EU citizens.

The fee will be compulsory for all EU citizens who will travel to the UK without a visa or other legal title, such as settled status. 

Tomasz Modrzejewski

Photo: British Poles