Travelling to the UK, from April 2025 you will need an ETA: what it is and how to apply

If you are planning a trip to London next year be careful because in a few months a passport alone will no longer be enough to enter the UK but you will need theAGE: to give theOfficial announcementlast September 10, it was the British government itself.

What is ETA?

THE’Electronic Travel Authorization abbreviated to ETA is an electronic travel authorization required from 2 April 2025 to citizens of the European Union, including Italians, who wish to enter the United Kingdom – even just for an airport stopover – and do not have a work visa or are not resident in English territory.

Similar to the Esta already in force for the United States and useful for ensuring more rigorous security checks, the ETA is digitally linked to the passport and allows more trips to the English territory. for stays of up to 6 months within 2 years or in any case until the expiry of the passport of the holder, if the event were to occur beforehand. For those who are wondering if it is free, unfortunately the answer is no: the ETA can be obtained for a fee of 10 pounds, approximately 12 euros.

How to apply

As described on the government resource, non-European citizens who need the electronic document will be able to apply directly from official website from next November 27th for travels from January 8th 2025; for residents in Europe, instead, in addition to the website it will also be possible to request it from the dedicated app from 5 March 2025 and can be used for travel from the following April 2nd.

However, to produce an application it is necessary to have the following at hand: passport of the applicant in progress, access to a email box and one credit or debit card or services such as Apple Pay or Google Pay to pay the required fee: finally, the procedure will ask you to scan your passport, provide a photo of your face and answer some security questions.