---
title: "Britain imposes new travel permit requirement on Europeans"
description: "LONDON, April 2 (Reuters) - European visitors to Britain will have to purchase an electronic permit in advance for trips from Wednesday, as the UK government follows other countries in seeking to strengthen immigration security by screening people before they cross its borders."
type: "NewsArticle"
publisher: "Daily Maverick"
site: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za"
section: "Newsdeck"
author: "Reuters"
author_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/author/reuters/"
canonical_url: "https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2025-04-02-britain-imposes-new-travel-permit-requirement-on-europeans/"
published: "2025-04-02T04:39:47"
updated: "2025-04-02T04:39:49"
lang: "en-ZA"
word_count: 376
---

# Britain imposes new travel permit requirement on Europeans

> LONDON, April 2 (Reuters) - European visitors to Britain will have to purchase an electronic permit in advance for trips from Wednesday, as the UK government follows other countries in seeking to strengthen immigration security by screening people before they cross its borders.

By Reuters · Published 2 April 2025, 06:39 SAST · Updated 2 April 2025, 06:39 SAST

## Key points
- Starting April 2, European tourists will need to cough up £10 for an electronic permit to enter the UK—because what's a holiday without a little extra paperwork?
- European visitors to the UK will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) starting April 2, with fees set at £10, increasing to £16 from April 9.
- The ETA, which allows multiple visits for up to six months over two years, aims to enhance security and streamline entry.
- Britons entering the EU will face new border checks from October, as the EU implements its delayed post-Brexit security measures.
- The EU's Entry/Exit System will digitize border records, while the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will introduce fees for non-Schengen travelers.

## Content

- European visitors to UK need electronic permit from April 2
- Cost is 10 pounds, rising to 16 pounds from April 9
- Britons entering EU face more checks from October

By James Davey

The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme requires all visitors who do not need a visa to enter Britain to purchase pre-travel authorisation online at a cost of 10 pounds (12 euros), rising to 16 pounds from April 9. Irish citizens are excluded.

The regime was initially rolled out to non-European nationals last year, including visitors from the United States, Canada and Australia.

"Expanding ETA worldwide cements our commitment to enhance security through technology and innovation," migration minister Seema Malhotra said last month.

Britain's Home Office, or interior ministry, said applying for an ETA should be simple through the UK ETA app, with the vast majority of applicants receiving a decision automatically in minutes.

Applicants provide a photo and biographic details and answer questions on suitability and criminality. Once an applicant has successfully applied, their ETA is digitally linked to their passport.

An ETA allows multiple visits to the UK of up to six months over a two-year period.

Airlines, ferry and train companies will be responsible for verifying the ETA status of travellers before they board.

Budget airline easyJet EZJ.L[said on Tuesday](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AS8N3MD0H0&linkedFromStory=true) it did not expect the new permit requirement to dent demand for Europe to UK travel.

The United Kingdom received 22.5 million visitors from the European Union in 2023, up from 19.0 million in 2022, according to official data.

The EU's much [delayed](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL1N3LM0QV&linkedFromStory=true) post-Brexit border security checks for UK nationals entering the bloc are slated to be introduced in October. Britain left the EU in 2020.

The EU's [Entry/Exit System](https://www.reutersconnect.com/all?search=all%3AL8N3JL15Z&linkedFromStory=true) (EES) will remove the requirement to manually stamp passports at the EU’s external borders and instead create digital records that link a travel document to a person’s identity using biometrics.

EES will be a precursor to an enhanced system, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will also require non-Schengen area citizens to pay a fee before they travel.

Britons currently pay about 17 pounds for a similar permit to enter the U.S.

($1 = 0.7744 pounds)

(1 euro = 0.8366 pounds)

(Reporting by James Davey;Editing by Alexandra Hudson)