From 00:01 GMT on 8 January 2026 the United Kingdom will require all visa-waiver nationals— including Spanish citizens— to hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before boarding any flight, ferry or Eurostar service to the UK. The online permit costs £16, is valid for two years and mirrors the United States’ ESTA.
For Spanish multinationals the change alters well-worn London shuttle routines. Travellers must apply via a Home Office app, upload a biometric selfie and receive approval (usually within minutes) before departure. Airlines have been warned they will face fines from 25 February if they carry non-compliant passengers, ending the informal grace period often granted at policy launch.
![UK ETA starts 8 January: digital pre-clearance now compulsory for Spanish short-term visitors]()
To make securing an ETA simpler, Spanish travellers can rely on VisaHQ’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/). The service walks applicants through the online form, checks supporting documents like biometric photos, and stores approvals for future trips—streamlining compliance for both individual flyers and corporate mobility teams.
HR and mobility teams should update travel-approval workflows so that ETA numbers are collected alongside passport data, and should brief staff that the ETA does not authorise paid work— UK permitted-activity rules still apply. Companies routing employees through Heathrow or Gatwick en-route to third countries must also obtain an ETA even if the traveller remains airside.
The British government argues the scheme will tighten border security and pave the way for fully digital entry gates by summer 2026. Critics in the EU business-travel community note that it adds cost and administrative friction just months before the EU’s own ETIAS system debuts. Spanish trade bodies such as CEOE have asked Madrid to negotiate reciprocal facilitation once ETIAS is live.
For Spanish multinationals the change alters well-worn London shuttle routines. Travellers must apply via a Home Office app, upload a biometric selfie and receive approval (usually within minutes) before departure. Airlines have been warned they will face fines from 25 February if they carry non-compliant passengers, ending the informal grace period often granted at policy launch.
To make securing an ETA simpler, Spanish travellers can rely on VisaHQ’s dedicated portal (https://www.visahq.com/spain/). The service walks applicants through the online form, checks supporting documents like biometric photos, and stores approvals for future trips—streamlining compliance for both individual flyers and corporate mobility teams.
HR and mobility teams should update travel-approval workflows so that ETA numbers are collected alongside passport data, and should brief staff that the ETA does not authorise paid work— UK permitted-activity rules still apply. Companies routing employees through Heathrow or Gatwick en-route to third countries must also obtain an ETA even if the traveller remains airside.
The British government argues the scheme will tighten border security and pave the way for fully digital entry gates by summer 2026. Critics in the EU business-travel community note that it adds cost and administrative friction just months before the EU’s own ETIAS system debuts. Spanish trade bodies such as CEOE have asked Madrid to negotiate reciprocal facilitation once ETIAS is live.
