We have been talking to you about it regularly for some time now. As we know, since Brexit, the United Kingdom requires a passport, including for French and other European Union nationals, to travel to its territory. And eventually, also planned for a long time, a Travel Authorization that will come to fruition in 2025.
83 nationalities concerned
Until now, since February 2024, only nationals of seven Gulf countries were required to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization before traveling to the United Kingdom. A targeted measure that will have served as a kind of full-scale test, before the obligation becomes a reality on a larger scale from next year. At least for those who do not currently need a visa to enter the United Kingdom, because for the others the procedures will still be the same.
So French nationals, EU nationals and a few others (83 nationalities in total) will now have to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before any travel across the Channel. In fact, this obligation will be staggered over time, with April for Europeans and January next year for others.
Concretely, the measure will be effective for French people on April 2, 2025, with the possibility of applying on the gov.uk website or the associated “UK ETA” app, which will have been opened prior to March 5, 2025.
The permit will cost the equivalent of £10 (roughly €12), and will be valid for multiple entries into the UK for stays of up to six months per trip within two years or until the applicant’s passport expires.
In terms of documents to be provided, it will be necessary to provide a scan of the passport home page, a digital ID photo and various information concerning the person.
Please note that if your passport expires while you still have a valid ETA (less than two years), you will still have to reapply for authorization.
Finally, it is important to stress that this ETA requirement concerns everyone, including children and babies, as well as travellers who will only be in transit between two planes at British airports. With the consequence that these new constraints are likely to also further amplify the difficulties of the British tourism sector, which has been stagnating for several years now…
