New “entry fee” and stricter requirements for travel to the UK

Travel to the United Kingdom will become more difficult in the future (from April 2025). In addition to the mandatory GAR (General Aviation Report), an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) will have to be applied for. Meanwhile, for citizens from a number of Central countries, the requirement to apply for an ETA already exists.



Travel to the United Kingdom will become even more difficult from April 2025.

The British government is making great strides toward its ambitious goal of digitizing the UK's border and immigration system and has set new implementation dates for the Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) scheme.

Anyone wishing to travel to the UK - other than British and Irish citizens - will need permission to travel before travel begins. This can be done through either an ETA or an eVisa.

ETAs are digitally linked to a traveler's passport and ensure more stringent security checks are carried out before people begin their trip to the UK, preventing abuse of the immigration system.

From March 5, 2025, citizens from a wide range of European countries can apply for their ETA. From April 2, 2025, it will then be possible to travel to the UK using this ETA. If you travel to the United Kingdom before then, an ETA is not required.

It costs £10 to apply for an ETA. Everyone traveling must have an ETA, including babies and children. You can also apply for others such as your passengers. It takes about 3 days for an ETA to be issued and you cannot get a refund after you apply.

To apply, you will need the following:

- The passport you are traveling with - not a photocopy

- Access to your email

- A credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay

- Photos or scans of - passport - face of applicant

No need to fill in your travel details.

The fastest way to apply for an ETA is through the app which can be downloaded from these links: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/uk-eta/id6444912481

or

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=uk.gov.HomeOffice.ho3

Again, the one and only is mandatory for travel to the UK from April 2, 2025 and of course a passport is required. Travel to the UK using an EU ID card is not possible ! It is not a substitute for the GAR. Filing a GAR is also mandatory !

Source: [IAOPA| https://www.iaopa.eu/contentServlet/iaopa-europe-enews-september-2024]