The United Kingdom authorities have announced that from November 15, 2023, all nationals of Qatar traveling to the country will need to get an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA).
An ETA is a new requirement that will start applying soon to all those who do not need a visa to enter the UK. This document gives permission to its holders to travel to the UK without having to undergo additional measures and is electronically linked to travelers’ passports, VisaGuide.World reports.
All those who get an ETA will be allowed to enter and stay in the UK for up to six months to visit family and friends as well as for tourism, business, and study purposes as soon as it becomes fully operational.
Moreover, holders of an ETA will also be allowed to enter and stay in the UK for up to three months on the Creative Worker visa concession, and they will also be allowed to transit through the UK.
Apart from nationals of Qatar who will need an ETA to travel to the UK from November this year, nationals of several other countries will be required to get the document too. However, it has been noted that such a requirement will apply to others only after January 2024.
According to the UK government, from February 22, 2024, the requirement to get an ETA when traveling to the UK will apply to nationals of another six countries. It has been revealed that nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates will need an ETA from February 2024 if they travel to the UK.
As for other nationals, the UK authorities have stressed that more countries will be added to the scheme later, meaning that the requirement to get an ETA for those who can enter the UK visa-free will not become effective for everyone on the same date.
Regarding the application, the UK authorities have explained that the application for an ETA needs to be made on the UK ETA app or online on the official website of the government – on GOV.UK.
The decision for an ETA is expected to be made within three working days. However, in certain cases, applicants may also get a quicker decision, depending on the number of applications.
“You’ll usually get a decision within three working days, but you may get a quicker decision. It may take longer than three working days if we need to make further checks,” the statement of the UK government reads.
As for the price, the exact cost for an ETA remains to be confirmed soon. Each traveler must apply for their own ETA, including children.
The post UK to Introduce ETA for Qataris in November This Year appeared first on VisaGuide.World.
