LONDON, United Kingdom (CMC) — The United Kingdom (UK) on Tuesday set out new implementation dates for its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, a major step towards delivering plans to digitise the UK border and immigration system.

This now means that everyone wishing to travel to the UK — except British and Irish citizens — will need permission to travel in advance of visits to the country.

This can be either through an ETA or an eVisa.

“Today we are confirming that from November 27, 2024, eligible non-Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need an ETA to travel from January 8, 2025. ETAs will then extend to eligible Europeans from March 5, 2025, who will need an ETA to travel from April 2, 2025,” said Minister for Migration and Citizenship, Seema Malhotra.

ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller’s passport and ensure more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK, helping to prevent abuse of the immigration system.

An ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner.

The introduction of ETAs is in line with the approach being taken by other countries to secure their borders.

According to Malhotra, digitisation enables a smooth experience for the millions of people who pass through the border every year, “including the visitors we warmly welcome to the UK who are predicted to contribute over £32billion to our tourism economy this year”.

“The worldwide expansion of the ETA demonstrates our commitment to enhance security through new technology and embedding a modern immigration system,” she said.

People who need a UK visa to live, work or study in the UK are now issued with an eVisa, providing digital proof of immigration status, instead of physical immigration documents which can be lost, stolen, or tampered with. eVisas mean people no longer have to wait for or travel to collect a physical document, streamlining their experience.

The UK Government is asking migrants in the UK who currently use a physical immigration document, including a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) or a passport containing ink stamps or visa vignette stickers, to take action now and create an online account to access their eVisa at gov.uk/eVisa.

Most BRPs are due to expire on December 31, 2024 and BRP holders are urged to take action before their BRP expires.

Creating the account enables people to use online services to prove their rights and manage their data, such as their personal details and passport information, and won’t impact their underlying immigration status.

Through Government funding, extra support is being provided for vulnerable people who need to take action to move from physical documents to an eVisa.

The UK Government says it continues to work closely with global airline, maritime and rail carriers, who are crucial to ensuring smooth implementation of its digitisation programme.