The United Kingdom’s long-trailed Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system has moved from ‘soft-launch’ to full enforcement. From 00:01 GMT on 8 January 2026 every traveller who does not normally need a visa—including citizens of the EU/EEA, United States, Canada, Australia and Japan—must hold an approved ETA before they board a plane, train or ferry to the UK. The permit costs £16, is valid for two years (or until the passport expires) and can be obtained within minutes through the dedicated smart-phone app or GOV.UK portal.
The Home Office says more than 13 million applications were processed during the phased roll-out, allowing it to switch airline and ferry departure-control systems to a strict “no ETA, no boarding” rule. From 25 February a parallel carrier-sanctions regime will fine operators that carry passengers without a digital permission.
For business-travel managers and mobility teams the implications are immediate. Because an ETA confers visitor status only, employers must ensure work-related travellers also hold the right underlying visa before tickets are issued. Many corporates are adding automated ETA checks to their online booking tools, while others are outsourcing bulk processing to visa service providers that offer API feeds directly into travel-management platforms.
![UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) now mandatory for all visa-waiver nationals]()
To help companies and individual travellers stay compliant, VisaHQ can handle ETA applications at scale, integrate approval data with existing travel-management systems and advise when a separate work visa is required. Details of these services, along with step-by-step guidance, are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/.
The change is part of the UK’s wider ‘Digital Border’ programme, which will phase out physical visa vignettes and Biometric Residence Permits by 2027. Dual UK-Irish citizens remain exempt, but only if they travel on a British or Irish passport. Air-side transit passengers stay outside the scheme until at least 2027, although officials say a separate digital transit permit is under consideration.
Practical advice for travellers and employers is to apply at least 72 hours before departure, brief staff that ETA refusals carry no formal appeals process, and retain the reference number in the traveller’s profile so future trips can be approved instantly.
The Home Office says more than 13 million applications were processed during the phased roll-out, allowing it to switch airline and ferry departure-control systems to a strict “no ETA, no boarding” rule. From 25 February a parallel carrier-sanctions regime will fine operators that carry passengers without a digital permission.
For business-travel managers and mobility teams the implications are immediate. Because an ETA confers visitor status only, employers must ensure work-related travellers also hold the right underlying visa before tickets are issued. Many corporates are adding automated ETA checks to their online booking tools, while others are outsourcing bulk processing to visa service providers that offer API feeds directly into travel-management platforms.
To help companies and individual travellers stay compliant, VisaHQ can handle ETA applications at scale, integrate approval data with existing travel-management systems and advise when a separate work visa is required. Details of these services, along with step-by-step guidance, are available at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/.
The change is part of the UK’s wider ‘Digital Border’ programme, which will phase out physical visa vignettes and Biometric Residence Permits by 2027. Dual UK-Irish citizens remain exempt, but only if they travel on a British or Irish passport. Air-side transit passengers stay outside the scheme until at least 2027, although officials say a separate digital transit permit is under consideration.
Practical advice for travellers and employers is to apply at least 72 hours before departure, brief staff that ETA refusals carry no formal appeals process, and retain the reference number in the traveller’s profile so future trips can be approved instantly.
