From Wednesday, European visitors to Britain will need to purchase an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before arriving, as the UK implements new pre-entry screening measures to tighten border controls.
The ETA scheme, already in place for non-European travellers from countries like the U.S., Canada, and Australia, now extends to EU citizens. The permit costs £10 (€12) until April 9, when the price rises to £16. Irish citizens are exempt.
Approved ETAs allow multiple UK visits of up to six months over a two-year period. Applications are processed through the UK ETA app and typically approved within minutes. Travellers must submit a photo, passport details, and answer questions on criminal history and eligibility.
Airlines, ferry companies, and rail operators will be responsible for checking ETA status before boarding.
Migration minister Seema Malhotra said the expanded system shows the UK’s commitment to using technology to enhance security.
Britain welcomed 22.5 million EU visitors in 2023, up from 19 million the previous year. Airlines like easyJet said the change is unlikely to impact demand.
The move precedes similar EU rules set to take effect in October. The bloc’s Entry/Exit System (EES) will digitally record non-EU travellers’ border crossings, replacing manual passport stamps with biometric scans. That system will be followed by ETIAS, which will require non-Schengen travellers, including Britons, to obtain a permit before entry.
Currently, Britons pay about £17 for a similar U.S. travel authorisation.
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The global commodities market is facing a severe structural supply shock after a series of coordinated military strikes in the Middle East devastated critical industrial infrastructure, threatening the manufacturing base of Western economies.
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More than 1.1 million people have been forced from their homes in Lebanon, according to the United Nations, as the UN spokesman says the humanitarian situation is worsening. Israel recently announced it intends to annex part of Southern Lebanon.
Fears of wider escalation grow despite President Donald Trump saying U.S. strikes on Iran could end within weeks. Meanwhile missile attacks, tanker incidents and rising casualties across Israel, Lebanon and the Gulf heighten risks to regional stability and energy routes.
There are fears of an oil spill after a drone strike hit a Kuwaiti oil tanker near Dubai on Tuesday, while U.S.-Israeli strikes in Iran reportedly killed at least two people. A loud explosion was heard in Beirut in southern Lebanon early Wednesday, as oil prices climbed above $100 a barrel.
Four astronauts blasted off from Florida on Wednesday on NASA's Artemis II mission, a high-stakes voyage around the moon that marks the United States' boldest step yet toward returning humans to the lunar surface later this decade in a race with China.
An earthquake of magnitude 7.6 struck in Indonesia's Northern Molucca Sea on Thursday, killing one person, damaging some buildings and triggering tsunami waves, authorities and witnesses said.
President Donald Trump staunchly defended his handling of the month-old U.S.-Israeli war on Iran in a prime-time address on Wednesday, saying the U.S. military was nearing completion of its mission while also reinforcing his threats to bomb the Islamic Republic back to the Stone Age.
Flag carrier Vietnam Airlines plans to cancel 23 flights per week across several domestic routes from April because of looming jet fuel shortages, Vietnam's aviation authority said.
The pilot and co-pilot of an Air Canada Express regional jet were killed after it collided with a fire truck while landing at New York's LaGuardia airport late on Sunday, in an incident that closed the airport, authorities and U.S. media said.
The ongoing conflict involving Iran is set to disrupt global travel on a massive scale, with nearly 28 million outbound trips from the Middle East at risk this year, according to Oxford Economics.
The Colosseum in Rome has reopened its southern corridors as a public square following a four-year restoration, giving visitors free access to a long-lost part of the ancient monument. The newly restored area was unveiled on Tuesday (17 March).
The escalating conflict between the U.S., Israel and Iran is already hitting the Middle East travel and tourism sector hard, with the World Travel & Tourism Council (WTTC) estimating losses of at least $600 million per day in international visitor spending.
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