Emirates Airline has issued an urgent travel advisory stating that, from 25 February 2026, passengers departing the UAE for the United Kingdom who require – but have not obtained – an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will be denied boarding ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/ae/emirates-tells-uae-travellers-no-uk-electronic-travel-authorisation-no-boarding-from-25-february/)).
What is changing? The UK Home Office is accelerating its digital-border programme, replacing physical visa stickers with e-Visas and rolling out the £10 ETA to visa-exempt Gulf nationals and several other cohorts. Even travellers holding valid paper visas must create a UKVI online account and link their document to their biometric passport.
Travellers who want to avoid last-minute hassles can simplify the new ETA application through VisaHQ’s UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/). The platform guides users step by step, checks documents for accuracy, and provides real-time status alerts—helping businesses keep employees moving and preventing costly denied-boarding incidents.
![Emirates warns UAE passengers: No UK ETA, no boarding from 25 February]()
Why it matters for business travel. London remains the top long-haul destination from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Missed ETAs will strand employees at the gate, trigger airline fines, and blow up meeting schedules. Corporations therefore need to hard-code ETA checks into online booking tools and traveller-tracking dashboards.
Action points for mobility managers. 1) Update pre-trip checklists; 2) Educate staff that processing can take up to three UK working days; 3) Ensure passports have at least six months’ validity to avoid duplicate ETA applications. TMCs are advising companies to automate ETA-status look-ups in PNR data so exceptions are flagged before ticketing.
Long-term outlook. The UK plans to convert the ETA into a multi-year permission similar to the US ESTA, potentially easing repeat travel. In the short term, however, a hybrid system will persist in which some nationals still need visas while others transition to digital status, requiring close monitoring by HR and immigration teams.
What is changing? The UK Home Office is accelerating its digital-border programme, replacing physical visa stickers with e-Visas and rolling out the £10 ETA to visa-exempt Gulf nationals and several other cohorts. Even travellers holding valid paper visas must create a UKVI online account and link their document to their biometric passport.
Travellers who want to avoid last-minute hassles can simplify the new ETA application through VisaHQ’s UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/). The platform guides users step by step, checks documents for accuracy, and provides real-time status alerts—helping businesses keep employees moving and preventing costly denied-boarding incidents.
Why it matters for business travel. London remains the top long-haul destination from both Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Missed ETAs will strand employees at the gate, trigger airline fines, and blow up meeting schedules. Corporations therefore need to hard-code ETA checks into online booking tools and traveller-tracking dashboards.
Action points for mobility managers. 1) Update pre-trip checklists; 2) Educate staff that processing can take up to three UK working days; 3) Ensure passports have at least six months’ validity to avoid duplicate ETA applications. TMCs are advising companies to automate ETA-status look-ups in PNR data so exceptions are flagged before ticketing.
Long-term outlook. The UK plans to convert the ETA into a multi-year permission similar to the US ESTA, potentially easing repeat travel. In the short term, however, a hybrid system will persist in which some nationals still need visas while others transition to digital status, requiring close monitoring by HR and immigration teams.
