The UK Home Office confirmed that from 25 February 2026 every visa-exempt visitor – including Italian citizens – must secure an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before boarding transport to the United Kingdom. Airlines, ferry operators and Eurostar will deny boarding to anyone without the £16 digital permit, which is valid for two years or until passport expiry. (gov.uk)
Applications take minutes via a mobile app, but the Home Office advises applying at least three working days in advance in case of additional security checks. British and Irish passport-holders, as well as those with existing UK immigration status, are exempt.
![Countdown to UK ETA Enforcement: Italian Travellers Need Digital Permission from 25 February]()
For travellers looking for assistance, VisaHQ offers an easy online solution that guides Italian individuals and corporate travel managers through every step of the UK ETA application, provides document checks and sends automated status updates—helping ensure no one is caught out at the boarding gate. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
For Italian corporates the change means new pre-trip compliance steps for staff attending meetings, trade fairs or rotational assignments in London. Mobility managers should update travel policies, ensure that duty-of-care platforms track ETA status and brief dual nationals to carry the correct passport.
The ETA aligns the UK with travel-authorisation models such as the US ESTA and Canada’s eTA, and precedes the EU’s own ETIAS system due to launch in 2026. Failure to obtain an ETA may invalidate business-travel insurance and could trigger carrier fines.
Applications take minutes via a mobile app, but the Home Office advises applying at least three working days in advance in case of additional security checks. British and Irish passport-holders, as well as those with existing UK immigration status, are exempt.
For travellers looking for assistance, VisaHQ offers an easy online solution that guides Italian individuals and corporate travel managers through every step of the UK ETA application, provides document checks and sends automated status updates—helping ensure no one is caught out at the boarding gate. Explore the service at https://www.visahq.com/italy/
For Italian corporates the change means new pre-trip compliance steps for staff attending meetings, trade fairs or rotational assignments in London. Mobility managers should update travel policies, ensure that duty-of-care platforms track ETA status and brief dual nationals to carry the correct passport.
The ETA aligns the UK with travel-authorisation models such as the US ESTA and Canada’s eTA, and precedes the EU’s own ETIAS system due to launch in 2026. Failure to obtain an ETA may invalidate business-travel insurance and could trigger carrier fines.
