The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system has officially expanded to European travellers.

Starting 2 April 2025, all European visitors will need ETA approval – or, for some non-EU nationals, a visa – to enter the UK.

The system became mandatory for travellers from the US, Canada and Australia on 8 January 2025, following its rollout last November for nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Applications for European travellers open today.

Read on for details on cost, validity and how to get it.

What is the ETA?

The ETA replaces the single-use Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) scheme, offering a lower cost option with multi-entry validity.

The UK government notes that it is not a visa and does not permit entry into the UK. Rather, it authorises a person to travel to the UK.

The ETA is now required for all eligible nationalities. You can find the full list of countries here.

How do I apply for an ETA to enter the UK?

Most visitors will be able to apply using a mobile app and can expect a decision emailed within three days.

Everyone travelling needs to apply, including babies and children, but you can apply for other people.

The UK government says its app is the quickest and easiest way to apply for an ETA. You can download the ETA app from the UK government website.

If you cannot download the app, you can also apply online here.

To complete the application, make sure you have on hand the passport you’ll be travelling on, an email address and a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. You will have to answer a set of suitability questions. You don’t need to enter your travel details.

You can delete the app when you’ve finished applying. Your ETA will be linked to your passport digitally, and you will not need to show anything else when you enter the UK.

When to apply for your ETA

The government says: “You must apply for an ETA before you travel to the UK. You can travel to the UK while waiting for a decision.”

Considering most applicants will get a decision within three days, it can be assumed you should apply at least three ahead of travelling to the UK, though you can do it much further in advance.

How much does the UK ETA cost?

Like the Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) in the US, a fee is attached to the application process. The ETA costs £10, approximately €12 at the time of writing.

According to the British Home Office website, however, the UK “[intends] to increase the cost of an ETA to £16 (€129) in the future.”

How long is the ETA valid?

An ETA lasts for two years. You do not need to apply again during this time.

You can travel to the UK as many times as you want during the period of validity, but you cannot stay for longer than six months on one trip. Check the UK government website for more details on what you can and cannot do on an ETA.

Note that you will need to apply for a new ETA if you get a new passport, as your ETA is linked to it.

Will I need a visa to enter the UK?

As mentioned above, the ETA isn’t a visa, but it does grant permission to enter the country.

All visitors who don’t require a visa currently will need to get an ETA before they travel. This includes those who do not currently need to submit any form of application to visit the UK. US, Canadian, Australian and European citizens need an ETA even for short stays or transiting through the UK, for example.

Travellers from countries that don’t have visa-free entry agreements with the UK will still have to apply for the correct visa and an ETA.

If you don’t apply before your trip, the government says you could be fined, though no further details have been given about this.

You still need to apply if you are transiting through the UK – even if you aren’t going through border control.

The ETA allows you to come to the UK for six months for tourism, visits to family and friends, business or short term study.

You can also get an ETA instead of a visa if you are coming to the UK for up to three months on the Creative Worker visa concession or coming to the UK for a permitted paid engagement. Outside of these conditions, you can’t use an ETA to do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person.

Who does not need an ETA?

British and Irish citizens, people who already have a visa or permission to live, work or study in the UK, those travelling with a British overseas territories citizen passport and people who live in Ireland and are travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man don’t need to apply for an ETA.

Why is the UK introducing the ETA scheme?

The ETA is part of the UK’s plan to digitise its borders at UK airports by the end of 2025.

The scheme is intended to reduce queues at the border, “helping to speed up legitimate journeys to the UK”.

Facial recognition technology could be used to make these “contactless corridors” possible, British newspaper The Times reports. It would require international travellers to submit biographic and biometric details, like photos of their faces through the new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme before they fly.

European Union countries agreed on Wednesday to finally bring into force the Entry/Exit System (EES), the bloc’s automated registry for short-stay travellers that has been repeatedly delayed over technical problems and lack of preparedness.

The agreement, reached by interior ministers in Brussels, paves the way for a likely start of operations in autumn, although no fixed date has been set.

Member states will now have two options: to launch the new system all at once or to launch it in several phases across a six-month transition period. At the end of the transition period, all registrations at border crossing should be done under the EES.

The phased-in approach was not foreseen in the original legislation. However, after an inclusive meeting in November, it was put forward as a viable alternative to break the protracted deadlock and implement the long-awaited system.

Poland, the country currently holding the EU Council’s rotating presidency, will lead the negotiations with the European Parliament for a final agreement on the amended law, which is expected to happen smoothly.

“October is our horizon,” Tomasz Siemoniak, Poland’s minister for internal affairs and administration, said on Wednesday morning.

The system “will provide member states’ services with entirely new tools to control who enters and exits the Schengen Area, for the police and border guards. This is an absolutely essential matter.”

What is the Entry/Exit System?

The EES is a comprehensive reform that dates back to 2016 and has been repeatedly delayed. Its main purpose is to modernise checks at the EU’s external borders and replace the traditional physical stamping of passports.

It will apply to non-EU citizens who come to the bloc for visits, holidays or business trips and stay for a total duration of up to 90 days within a 180-day period.

Once the system goes live, visitors will have to provide their passports on arrival, alongside having a photo of their face taken and their fingerprints scanned electronically.

All entries and exits from the passport-free Schengen Area will be recorded.

The collection of biometric data and the sharing of information in real time are meant to help authorities crack down on those who overstay their short-term visas and commit identity fraud.

All member states, except Cyprus and Ireland, and four Schengen-associate countries – Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland – will take part in the scheme.

Passports in Cyprus and Ireland will continue to be stamped manually.

Rush hour in the French capital is undergoing a revolution.

Starting this week, Paris is introducing a new car-sharing lane during peak hours on its notoriously choked Périphérique ring road, a measure that city officials hope will alleviate congestion and reduce pollution.

From 7am to 10:30am and 4pm to 8pm, the leftmost lane – typically the fastest-moving – will be reserved for vehicles carrying at least two passengers. The shared lane will also be available to public transport, taxis, emergency services, and individuals with disabilities.

The policy, first tested during the 2024 Olympic Games, is now being rolled out permanently by the Socialist-led city hall. Drivers have until May to adjust before AI-powered enforcement kicks in. After that, violators will face €135 fines.

The fight to reclaim Paris from cars

With around 1.5 million daily journeys, the Périphérique is one of Europe’s busiest roads – and the most polluted area in the capital, according to city hall.

“The Périphérique is… a real health scandal,” Dan Lert, deputy mayor for ecological transition, told Le Monde. “The half a million people who live along it are exposed to pollution levels that are still too high, with 30 per cent of children suffering from asthma.”

To reduce traffic jams and address air quality concerns, officials slashed the speed limit from 70 kilometres per hour to 50 kilometres per hour last October.

While seven kilometres of the 35-kilometre ring road are exempt from the new car-sharing initiative, city hall has earmarked €7 million to extend the measure further.

But not everyone is on board with green-leaning mayor Anne Hidalgo’s plans. Valérie Pécresse, head of the Île-de-France region, has warned that the policy could worsen congestion and has called for an “exhaustive” assessment within three months.

Paris’s battle against pollution and gridlock

The battle has not been confined to the Périphérique. In recent years, the city of lights has sought to reshape how Parisians move through their city.

In 2013 and 2016, respectively, the city hall banned traffic from the left and right banks of the Seine. Last year, Paris introduced limited traffic zones (ZTL) in the first four arrondissements, hoping to reduce noise and air pollution in the city centre.

Under Hidalgo, Paris has also added 500 kilometres of cycling lanes and cracked down on high-polluting vehicles such as SUVs.

Paris follows a wider European trend toward car-free mobility

Paris is far from the only place in Europe rethinking its relationship with cars. Cities including London, Amsterdam and Vienna have been recognised for their increasinglygreen public transport networks, whileOslo has removed most on-street parking in its city centre in favour of pedestrian-friendly spaces.

Meanwhile,Sweden has surpassed EU targets for renewable energy in transport, with over 33 per cent of its energy mix coming from renewables by 2023 – well ahead of the EU’s 29 per cent target for 2030.

Improved public transport is also influencing commuter habits. When Montpellier made public transport free for residents in late 2023, the southern French city saw ridership increase more than 20 per cent in just five months, and Luxembourg residents have praised their leaders for making all forms of public transport completely free in 2020.

While it remains to be seen how Paris’s latest initiative will impact daily commutes, officials say the goal is clear: fewer cars, cleaner air, and a more livable city.