The United Kingdom confirmed over the weekend that its new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) regime will apply to Swiss nationals starting 25 February 2026. From that date Swiss, French, German and other European Economic Area travellers—who currently enjoy visa-free entry—must obtain an online ETA costing £16 before boarding flights, ferries or Eurostar services to the UK. The authorisation will be valid for two years or until the passport expires. ([visahq.com](https://www.visahq.com/news/2026-01-10/ch/uk-electronic-travel-authorisation-now-mandatory-for-swiss-citizens-from-february-2026/))
Airlines and other carriers risk fines for transporting passengers without a valid ETA, effectively shifting border checks upstream. The change aligns the UK with systems such as the U.S. ESTA and Canada’s eTA and anticipates the EU’s own ETIAS scheme, now due in late 2026. The British Home Office projects annual revenue of £269 million from fees, earmarked for enhanced border-security infrastructure.
![UK Electronic Travel Authorisation to Become Mandatory for Swiss Citizens From 25 February 2026]()
In this context, VisaHQ offers Swiss individuals and corporations an end-to-end solution for securing the new UK ETA. Through its portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), travellers can complete the application online, track real-time status updates and receive automated renewal reminders, while mobility managers can oversee multiple cases in one dashboard—streamlining compliance and avoiding last-minute surprises.
For Swiss businesses the administrative impact is real but manageable. Travel departments must build the £16 fee into trip budgets and adapt approval workflows to ensure ETAs are secured at least 72 hours before departure. Frequent flyers may wish to synchronise ETA renewals with passport renewals to avoid mid-assignment lapses, while mobility teams should brief travellers on the scheme’s strict overstay penalties, which include fines and future entry bans.
Immigration advisers also warn of knock-on effects for dual Swiss-UK postings: staff rotating between Switzerland and the UK on rapid cycles—common in banking and pharma—must track ETA validity and UK immigration days more diligently to avoid triggering tax-residence thresholds. Global HR systems should therefore integrate the new ETA number as a mandatory data field.
Airlines and other carriers risk fines for transporting passengers without a valid ETA, effectively shifting border checks upstream. The change aligns the UK with systems such as the U.S. ESTA and Canada’s eTA and anticipates the EU’s own ETIAS scheme, now due in late 2026. The British Home Office projects annual revenue of £269 million from fees, earmarked for enhanced border-security infrastructure.
In this context, VisaHQ offers Swiss individuals and corporations an end-to-end solution for securing the new UK ETA. Through its portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/), travellers can complete the application online, track real-time status updates and receive automated renewal reminders, while mobility managers can oversee multiple cases in one dashboard—streamlining compliance and avoiding last-minute surprises.
For Swiss businesses the administrative impact is real but manageable. Travel departments must build the £16 fee into trip budgets and adapt approval workflows to ensure ETAs are secured at least 72 hours before departure. Frequent flyers may wish to synchronise ETA renewals with passport renewals to avoid mid-assignment lapses, while mobility teams should brief travellers on the scheme’s strict overstay penalties, which include fines and future entry bans.
Immigration advisers also warn of knock-on effects for dual Swiss-UK postings: staff rotating between Switzerland and the UK on rapid cycles—common in banking and pharma—must track ETA validity and UK immigration days more diligently to avoid triggering tax-residence thresholds. Global HR systems should therefore integrate the new ETA number as a mandatory data field.
