Excluding British and Irish citizens, everyone, including children who wishes to enter or transit through the UK, will now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before they travel.
The category of persons who need the travel permit are those who are previously eligible to visit the UK without a visa and not already legally resident in the UK.
Also listed for ETA are those on visits shorter than six months, business people, tourism, and those visiting family and friends.
By this development, applicants are required to apply online before booking any travel to the UK. Once granted, it will be valid for multiple journeys over two years or until the passport you are applying with expires, whichever is sooner.
According to a statement by the UK Home Office, travellers with valid visas might not be allowed to board without a valid ETA as the ETA is digitally linked into travellers’ passports.
“The UK travel requirements are changing. Except for British and Irish citizens, everyone, including children who enter or transit through the UK, will soon require permission before they travel. This means that if you were previously eligible to visit the UK without a visa and not already legally resident in the UK, you will need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), your stay must be shorter than six months and could include tourism or visiting family and friends, transit, business, and short term study.
“You do not need to show a paper copy but it may be helpful to prove the confirmation email for your own records while an ETA grants you permission to travel to the UK, it does not grant you entry. So, you would still need to go through passport control at the border to enter the UK. Make sure you show the same passport you used to apply for your ETA and that your passport is valid for the whole of your stay,” the statement added.