11/25/2024
Heads up, UK travelers. Beginning Wednesday, you will be able to apply for this ETA online. The one for the EU is supposed to beginning early in 2025 but no date has been set.
This is supposed to make border crossings and customs more efficient; we are happy that we won't have to get new passports because we were running out of blank pages!
Ireland: Effective January 8, 2025, all U.S. citizens who do not reside in Ireland transiting or traveling to the UK (including Northern Ireland) for tourism, family visits, business meetings, conferences, or short-term study for 6 months or less will require an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) prior to travel.
All non-resident U.S. citizens in Ireland, including children, will be required to have a valid ETA when traveling to UK, even when traveling by land between the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.
U.S. citizens can apply for ETAs as of November 27, 2024. The application fee is £10, and an ETA is valid for two years.
The UK Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system is being rolled out incrementally and will apply to most visitors who do not need a visa for short stays in the UK, or those who do not already have a UK immigration status prior to traveling.
More information on the ETA program: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-when-you-can-get-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta
More information for U.S. citizens resident in Ireland: https://ie.usembassy.gov/new-uk-electronic-travel-authorization-eta-requirement/
