New ETA fee for Australians travelling to UK

Aussies travelling to the United Kingdom will be stung with a new fee to enter the country as the UK moves to digitise its border controls.

The days of Aussies simply arriving at a London airport and merely showing their Aussie passport to enter are over.

Travellers from Down Under will soon have an extra requirement — they’ll need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the United Kingdom.

Who needs an ETA?

The British entry permit document is needed for people who do not need a visa to travel to the UK — and it will give them permission to travel around the region.

People will need an ETA if they come to the UK for up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or study.

Travellers wait in a long queue to pass through the security check at Heathrow. Picture: Carl Court/Getty Images

They will also need one if they will spend up to three months in the UK for creative work purposes (actors or musicians etc).

Crucially, visitors will also need an ETA if they’re just transiting through the UK – including people who are not going through the UK border control.

The ETA applies to all 27 European Union countries, except for Ireland.

Citizens from other non-EU European nations including Switzerland and Monaco will also need an ETA.

It will also apply to visa-exempt nations like Australia, New Zealand, the United States and Japan.

A full list of countries is listed on the ETA website.

The scheme will kick off for Qatar from 25 October and for other Middle Eastern nations from 22 February 2024.

It’s not yet known when the requirement will start for Aussie travellers. The UK government says its “borders will be fully digitalised by 2025” — so a date sometime in 2024 is likely.

How much is the ETA?

It’s understood that the ETA will cost £10 ($AU18.65).

Eligible people will be able to apply online for permission to enter the UK before travelling.

It’s expected the application will only take a few minutes, and it will be processed within 48 to 72 hours.

To apply, travellers will need a valid biometric passport from an eligible country, travel details, a valid email address and a debit or credit card.

Once their ETA is approved, travellers will merely need to scan their passport when they arrive at the airport.

Why is the ETA being introduced?

The UK government says it launched the ETA project as part of efforts to improve UK border control.

It will provide the government with more information about the number of people travelling to the UK and where they are arriving from.

It will also allow travellers to be screened before they reach the UK, so that “threats can be detected earlier”, according to the ETA website.

The application will record details including the “name, date of birth and citizenship” of travellers, as well as their travel plans.

The application form includes a “series of personal, security and travel questions”, according to a Sydney Morning Herald report.

What’s the ETIAS?

Aussies heading to Europe will also have to fill out paperwork and pay a fee under a new scheme called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS).

The ETIAS is an electronic system which keeps track of visitors from visa-exempt countries who enter most European nations.

Italy, Greece, Spain, Sweden and Croatia are just a few of the places which will require travellers to reapply every three years or whenever their passport expires for renewed access to the continent.

The application can be filled out online or on a mobile app and carries a €7 ($AU11) fee.

The European Union has advised that most applications will be processed within minutes, but still warns tourists should submit their application well in advance of buying a flight or booking accommodation.

- with NCA Newswire