Jetting off to the UK this year or passing through during your 2025 Euro-summer adventures? There's a major change to entry you need to know about. From January 8, Australian travellers will need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in order to visit England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. At £10 (around $20 AUD), the digital permit must be applied for online before entering the UK. It covers multiple trips to the UK and allows stays of up to six months over a two-year period – or until your passport expires.
The UK’s new ETA digital permit was first rolled out in November 2023 to travellers from the Middle East, replacing the former Electronic Visa Waiver (EVW) scheme. Starting January 8, all non-European travellers will need to apply for the new ETA. This applies to all Australians, including babies and children, with exceptions only for dual British or Irish citizens; those with an approved visa; citizens of Britain, Ireland or British Overseas Territories; and individuals with permission to live, work or study in the UK. With an approved ETA, visitors can stay up to six months but cannot engage in paid or unpaid work or live in the UK via frequent visits.
Last year, the European Union also revealed plans for a new visa system – the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) – set to launch on May 1, 2025. Australians will need to apply and pay for this digital permit before travelling to countries in the Schengen zone, including France, Germany, Greece, Italy, the Netherlands and Spain. However, don’t mix up Europe’s ETIAS with the UK’s ETA – the UK is no longer part of the European Union, so has its own separate system.
Aussies can apply for a UK ETA two ways: through the United Kingdom Government website or via the UK ETA smartphone app. To complete the application, you’ll need to fill in your contact details, upload a passport photo and a digital photo, answer a series of questions and pay the £10 fee. Approval is expected to take around three business days, so don’t leave it to the last minute.
You can find out more about the UK’s ETA system here.