Your questions answered on the UK’s new £10 entry fee for European travellers
From next year, European travellers visiting the UK will be required to pay a £10 Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in order to enter. The Local answers your questions on what that means for people living in the EU or EEA, including EU spouses and dual nationals.
The UK has introduced an electronic travel authorisation scheme known as ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) for people paying short visits such as tourists of those visiting family members.
The ETA – which costs £10, lasts for two years and must be applied for online in advance of your trip – is already in place for citizens of some countries, but in the spring of 2025 it will be expanded to include EU and EEA citizens such as French, German or Swiss nationals.
Non-EU nationals now have to pay a 10-pound fee to enter the UK. Passengers must organise and pay online for the so-called Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in advance of any short trip.
As of January 8, 2025, citizens of all non-EU countries have to pay the entry fee. From April 2, 2025, the fee will also apply to citizens of EU and EEA countries, including babies and children.
UK and Irish citizens are exempt, including UK and Irish citizens who hold dual citizenship with another country, so long as they use their UK or Irish passport at the UK border. Internationals with a valid visa or residence permit for the UK or Ireland are also exempt.
The one-off payment of 10 pounds will cover trips to the UK for two years, during which travellers can enter and leave the country as many times as they like and spend up to 180 days there. Any non-UK citizen wishing to spend more than 180 days in the UK must apply for another, relevant visa.UK is changing their free entry status to a cost based and permission to enter.