The United Kingdom authorities have finally revealed the price per one Electronic Travel Authorization application, which will be £10.
The scheme, which will start rolling out in November this year for Qataris, will then include other visa-free nationalities gradually every few months, until it is completed.
“An ETA will cost £10 per applicant,” the UK Visas and Immigration of the Home Office has announced after months of unclarity how much the authorization would cost.
The second group of countries for which the requirement will become effective are Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates, starting from February 22, 2024. The roll out dates of the program for other countries will be revealed further on.
The UK Electronic Travel Authorization, shortly known as ETA, is a new requirement that will be applied to people who do not need a visa to come to the UK for purposes like tourism, family visits, study and business, for periods up to six months within a year, VisaGuide.World reports.
The requirement will not apply to British or Irish passport holders, as well as those who have permission to live, work or study in the UK and those who need visa to enter the UK for six-month stays. Exempt will also be those legally resident in Ireland, that don’t need a visa to visit the UK, as well as those entering Guernsey, Jersey, or the Isle of Man.
Travelers will be able to apply at the dedicated online GOV.UK website, or through the ETA app that hasn’t been launched yet. Decisions are expected to be issued within three days, and each ETA will be valid for two years, or until the traveler’s passport expires, whichever happens first.
“You can use it to make multiple visits to the UK. You still need to either use an ePassport gate if you’re eligible or see a Border Force officer to enter the UK,” the Home Office explains.
Travelers whose ETA application is rejected will have to apply for a Standard Visitor visa to visit the UK for tourism purposes and family visits, for a Creative Worker visa to come to the UK as a creative worker, and for a transit visa to transit through the UK to their final destination.
The UK is not the first country to impose such a requirement on travelers who can enter its territory visa-free. The United States for years now has been operating its Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), while the European Union is also working on its ETIAS authorization.
>> UK’s ETA Will Have a Negative Impact on Ireland’s Tourism, Irish Prime Minister Says
The post UK to Gradually Introduce £10 Travel Authorizations for Visitors From Visa-Free Countries as of Nov. 2023 appeared first on VisaGuide.World.
