UAE residents planning business or leisure trips to Britain have been given a final warning: from 25 February 2026 airlines will refuse boarding to most passengers who have not secured the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or an e-visa.
VFS Global, the UK government’s visa‐processing partner in the Gulf, issued the alert after reposting an update from UK Visas & Immigration. The reminder underscores London’s accelerated shift to fully digital border controls. Gulf nationals—including Emiratis, Saudis and Qataris—were among the first groups invited to test the £10 ETA in 2024; on 25 February it becomes mandatory for all short-stay, visa-exempt visitors as well as many work- and study-visa holders who will receive e-visas in place of physical documents.
Airlines will be required to verify ETA or e-visa status against the traveller’s passport data at check-in. Emirates has already told customers it will adopt a strict “No ETA / No Boarding” policy. Passengers with older paper visas or expired biometric residence permits must create a UKVI online account and link their document to their passport, while holders of Indefinite Leave to Remain are urged to convert their status into a digital ‘No Time Limit’ record.
For UAE corporates the implications are immediate: travel managers should audit upcoming UK itineraries, remind staff to apply for the ETA at least 72 hours before departure, and verify that employee passports are valid and correctly linked in the UKVI system. Failure to comply could strand executives at Dubai International or Abu Dhabi, causing missed meetings and re-booking costs.
![UAE Travellers Warned: UK to Enforce Electronic Travel Authorisation From 25 Feb]()
The ETA is valid for two years (or until the passport expires) and can be used for multiple trips of up to six months. Border experts say the digital permission will eventually replace the paper landing cards and passport stamps, enabling e-gates and advanced risk screening similar to Canada’s eTA and the US ESTA.
Travellers who would rather leave the paperwork to professionals can turn to VisaHQ, whose UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) streamlines ETA applications, tracks real-time status updates and sends reminders before the two-year authorisation expires—ideal for busy executives and frequent flyers.
Although the £10 fee is modest, the bigger change is behavioural: travellers must now treat the ETA like a visa and apply in advance, rather than relying on visa-free entry at the gate. UAE-based tour operators and MICE planners are updating checklists and booking systems to flag the new requirement.
VFS Global expects a surge of last-minute applications in early February and advises using official channels to avoid scam websites that mimic the ETA portal.
VFS Global, the UK government’s visa‐processing partner in the Gulf, issued the alert after reposting an update from UK Visas & Immigration. The reminder underscores London’s accelerated shift to fully digital border controls. Gulf nationals—including Emiratis, Saudis and Qataris—were among the first groups invited to test the £10 ETA in 2024; on 25 February it becomes mandatory for all short-stay, visa-exempt visitors as well as many work- and study-visa holders who will receive e-visas in place of physical documents.
Airlines will be required to verify ETA or e-visa status against the traveller’s passport data at check-in. Emirates has already told customers it will adopt a strict “No ETA / No Boarding” policy. Passengers with older paper visas or expired biometric residence permits must create a UKVI online account and link their document to their passport, while holders of Indefinite Leave to Remain are urged to convert their status into a digital ‘No Time Limit’ record.
For UAE corporates the implications are immediate: travel managers should audit upcoming UK itineraries, remind staff to apply for the ETA at least 72 hours before departure, and verify that employee passports are valid and correctly linked in the UKVI system. Failure to comply could strand executives at Dubai International or Abu Dhabi, causing missed meetings and re-booking costs.
The ETA is valid for two years (or until the passport expires) and can be used for multiple trips of up to six months. Border experts say the digital permission will eventually replace the paper landing cards and passport stamps, enabling e-gates and advanced risk screening similar to Canada’s eTA and the US ESTA.
Travellers who would rather leave the paperwork to professionals can turn to VisaHQ, whose UAE portal (https://www.visahq.com/united-arab-emirates/) streamlines ETA applications, tracks real-time status updates and sends reminders before the two-year authorisation expires—ideal for busy executives and frequent flyers.
Although the £10 fee is modest, the bigger change is behavioural: travellers must now treat the ETA like a visa and apply in advance, rather than relying on visa-free entry at the gate. UAE-based tour operators and MICE planners are updating checklists and booking systems to flag the new requirement.
VFS Global expects a surge of last-minute applications in early February and advises using official channels to avoid scam websites that mimic the ETA portal.
