A Written Ministerial Statement laid in Parliament on 9 December and legislation that entered into force at 00:01 GMT on 10 December add Nauru to the United Kingdom’s visa-required list for both visitors and airside transit passengers. Nationals of the Pacific island state must now obtain a Standard Visitor visa or, if merely connecting through a UK airport, a Direct Airside Transit Visa (DATV).
The Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) (Amendment) (No. 4) Order 2025 amends Schedule 1 of the 2014 Transit Visa Order, while parallel changes to Appendix V of the Immigration Rules end Nauru’s eligibility for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) status. A six-week grace period runs until 20 January 2026 for travellers who booked before the cut-off. Carriers have been instructed via the UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub to refuse boarding to non-exempt Nauruan passengers without the appropriate vignette.
![UK imposes immediate visa and transit-visa requirements on Nauru nationals]()
VisaHQ, an established global visa and passport processing provider, can help travellers and corporate mobility teams navigate these changes by offering step-by-step guidance, document review and online application support for both the Standard Visitor visa and DATV. Its UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) also provides real-time status tracking and compliance resources, ensuring passengers are properly documented before they reach the airport.
Although traffic volumes from Nauru are tiny, the move signals a wider Home Office review of small states whose investor-passport schemes could present security or migration-abuse risks. Similar action was taken against Dominica and Vanuatu in 2024. Global mobility teams should update booking tools and traveller-communications templates to reflect the new rule, particularly for multi-leg journeys routed through London or Manchester. Airlines failing to conduct document checks risk fines of up to £5,000 per passenger under Carriers’ Liability legislation.
The change also provides a test case for the UK’s next ETA expansion phase: officials confirm that future removals from the ETA-eligible list can be enacted “within hours” if intelligence warrants, meaning mobility managers must monitor carrier alerts closely.
The Immigration (Passenger Transit Visa) (Amendment) (No. 4) Order 2025 amends Schedule 1 of the 2014 Transit Visa Order, while parallel changes to Appendix V of the Immigration Rules end Nauru’s eligibility for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) status. A six-week grace period runs until 20 January 2026 for travellers who booked before the cut-off. Carriers have been instructed via the UK Border Force Carrier Support Hub to refuse boarding to non-exempt Nauruan passengers without the appropriate vignette.
VisaHQ, an established global visa and passport processing provider, can help travellers and corporate mobility teams navigate these changes by offering step-by-step guidance, document review and online application support for both the Standard Visitor visa and DATV. Its UK portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) also provides real-time status tracking and compliance resources, ensuring passengers are properly documented before they reach the airport.
Although traffic volumes from Nauru are tiny, the move signals a wider Home Office review of small states whose investor-passport schemes could present security or migration-abuse risks. Similar action was taken against Dominica and Vanuatu in 2024. Global mobility teams should update booking tools and traveller-communications templates to reflect the new rule, particularly for multi-leg journeys routed through London or Manchester. Airlines failing to conduct document checks risk fines of up to £5,000 per passenger under Carriers’ Liability legislation.
The change also provides a test case for the UK’s next ETA expansion phase: officials confirm that future removals from the ETA-eligible list can be enacted “within hours” if intelligence warrants, meaning mobility managers must monitor carrier alerts closely.
