Important information for anyone traveling from the USA to or through the UK on or after Jan. 8, 2025 (new UK ETA Visa requirement).

[Donalyn]

Bad Pink Tink - I don't think that we are getting in a fluff about it. We are all just trying to understand what is required for something that is new. And it is an annoyance, in the "gosh, here is yet another thing that I have to do" type of way. And my oldest DD is trying to plan a trip to London to visit a friend who is studying there and she was annoyed at the cost of this (she is very frugal with her own money, just not mine).

And likely a lot of Americans were not aware that foreign visitors to the US have been doing something similar for years. That isn't surprising - it didn't apply to us and we go through different passport lines when coming into the US and we wouldn't be looking at the US entry requirements for tourists. (And a lot of Americans have never traveled out of the US, just like a lot of Europeans have never left Europe, or even their own country.)

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Its interesting seeing all the Americans on here and other places online getting into a fluff about this. The American Government has required ESTA for Europeans and other countries since 2008 and before that we had to fill out a paper form on the plane which was stamped at passport check.

With the ESTA, its linked to your passport and you can not check in for a flight to America or a cruise arriving at an American port or a cruise departing from an American port without it.

If a person forgets or does not know about needing an ESTA it can be done during the check in process as it usually only takes a few minutes to be approved.

There are conditions with the ESTA like not looking for work or being employed with in America.

Im sure the new systems for American tourists in Europe will be very similar. Its really no big deal.

Please leave your feelings about the U.S. out of this.

The UK is requiring it for a ton of countries in different dates (one is Jan, the other is April). It's a pre-authorization to travel through or to the UK (the through part is very interesting especially with Heathrow). No one is getting in a tizzy over it other than the amount of information shared about it has been very little. Most people know about the upcoming but continuously delayed EES and the ETIAS for Schengen travel but the UK one wasn't discussed really, we are going to England, Scotland and Wales in September and it just cropped up in my news back in November.

In April EU countries will be required to do it as well.

As far as this one goes while it is the case that people can get approved quickly they warn it could take up to 3 business days to do so so waiting til checking in for your flight to do it is risky indeed

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Bad Pink Tink - I don't think that we are getting in a fluff about it. We are all just trying to understand what is required for something that is new. And it is an annoyance, in the "gosh, here is yet another thing that I have to do" type of way. And my oldest DD is trying to plan a trip to London to visit a friend who is studying there and she was annoyed at the cost of this (she is very frugal with her own money, just not mine).

And likely a lot of Americans were not aware that foreign visitors to the US have been doing something similar for years. That isn't surprising - it didn't apply to us and we go through different passport lines when coming into the US and we wouldn't be looking at the US entry requirements for tourists. (And a lot of Americans have never traveled out of the US, just like a lot of Europeans have never left Europe, or even their own country.)

I think it's a decently complex way that they are going about it. For instance July 2023 we did a cruise in Europe. On the way home from Athens, Greece we had a connection in London at Heathrow to get back to the U.S.. Now that trip would require the pre-authorization due to flying through London even though we weren't leaving the airport. Now we don't leave things to chance so we would have done this before leaving home but it was at the back end of our trip so we would have requested authorization more than 2 weeks in advance of flying all because of a connection that took place somewhere in the UK. That's not discussing having an issue with whatever process a country has in place, it's just discussing the complexities involved in it.

 

[Lesverts]

The same was true for the NzETA for New Zealand. I got the response in like 2 minutes!

Air New Zealand actually called people up to the podium while we were waiting for our flight. They were having people who didn't know about the NzETA apply & pay for it right then and there. That was nice of them to do! I was surprised at how many people it was.

Sayhello

I had a NZeTA but when I got to SFO there was a minor flub when the app scanned my passport and scanned a O instead of a 0. So my passport number was invalid. Took a quick call and everything was good to go until I got pulled for secondary screening in Auckland.

There is a massive benefit to having the pre-authorization. There is some piece of mind that you’ll get through customs and immigration easily. Britain is going to e-gates so you’ll likely not have to speak to anyone. Same as Australia. That was bliss.

 

[Momtastic]

I had a NZeTA but when I got to SFO there was a minor flub when the app scanned my passport and scanned a O instead of a 0. So my passport number was invalid. Took a quick call and everything was good to go until I got pulled for secondary screening in Auckland.

There is a massive benefit to having the pre-authorization. There is some piece of mind that you’ll get through customs and immigration easily. Britain is going to e-gates so you’ll likely not have to speak to anyone. Same as Australia. That was bliss.

Hopefully the ETA will mean a quicker and easier customs and immigration experience for everyone. Regarding the e-gates, my understanding is that those require a biometric chip in your passport. Is that accurate? If so, we unfortunately can’t use those on this trip because ours don’t have the chip. But I agree, the more automated, the better!

 

[Lesverts]

Hopefully the ETA will mean a quicker and easier customs and immigration experience for everyone. Regarding the e-gates, my understanding is that those require a biometric chip in your passport. Is that accurate? If so, we unfortunately can’t use those on this trip because ours don’t have the chip. But I agree, the more automated, the better!

The US has been issuing biometric passports since 2007. Your passport should have a symbol under the 'of America' part that shows that it is ICAO compliant. European countries have been requiring biometric passports since 2008. So you should be good to go.

 

[Momtastic]

The US has been issuing biometric passports since 2007. Your passport should have a symbol under the 'of America' part that shows that it is ICAO compliant. European countries have been requiring biometric passports since 2008. So you should be good to go.

Oh wow, you are right! I don’t know how I overlooked the symbol on there. Thanks for pointing that out.

 

[sayhello]

I'm pretty sure they could not have got on the flight without it? I've seen people turned away from flights because they didn't have the right visa, etc, for countries that do not have these fast electronic systems (which are nice, I admit.)

My daughter was almost not allowed on her flight to Korea (smack in the thick of the pandemic) because she did not have covid test results (needed to be less than 2 days old) that was not ALSO translated into Korean. I mean?? How was THAT supposed to happen??

Sorry, a tangent.

You are correct, they would not have been allowed on the flight without it. I don't know if they'd get a refund or what if they didn't have it, so maybe it saved the airline money? Who knows, it's just nice they did it. It certainly saved a *lot* of hassles!! And sorry about your daughter! That's a ridiculous requirement!!

Its interesting seeing all the Americans on here and other places online getting into a fluff about this. The American Government has required ESTA for Europeans and other countries since 2008 and before that we had to fill out a paper form on the plane which was stamped at passport check.

With the ESTA, its linked to your passport and you can not check in for a flight to America or a cruise arriving at an American port or a cruise departing from an American port without it.

If a person forgets or does not know about needing an ESTA it can be done during the check in process as it usually only takes a few minutes to be approved.

There are conditions with the ESTA like not looking for work or being employed with in America.

Im sure the new systems for American tourists in Europe will be very similar. Its really no big deal.

Not "getting in a fluff" (that's a new term for me!). Just discussing the details because it's new, and the airlines don't tell you about these things when you buy your ticket!

The US has been issuing biometric passports since 2007. Your passport should have a symbol under the 'of America' part that shows that it is ICAO compliant. European countries have been requiring biometric passports since 2008. So you should be good to go.

There you go, making me have to dig out my passport to check this! Thanks! I totally did not know that's what that is for. Looks like I'm good to go for that!

Sayhello

 

[bookbabe626]

The US has been issuing biometric passports since 2007. Your passport should have a symbol under the 'of America' part that shows that it is ICAO compliant. European countries have been requiring biometric passports since 2008. So you should be good to go.

For those reading this thread, Canada and a ton of other countries have the biometric passports too.

Here is the symbol you are looking for on your passport cover.

 

[jimmymc]

Its interesting seeing all the Americans on here and other places online getting into a fluff about this. The American Government has required ESTA for Europeans and other countries since 2008 and before that we had to fill out a paper form on the plane which was stamped at passport check.

With the ESTA, its linked to your passport and you can not check in for a flight to America or a cruise arriving at an American port or a cruise departing from an American port without it.

If a person forgets or does not know about needing an ESTA it can be done during the check in process as it usually only takes a few minutes to be approved.

There are conditions with the ESTA like not looking for work or being employed with in America.

Im sure the new systems for American tourists in Europe will be very similar. Its really no big deal.

Trying to understand a new rule isn't getting in a fluff about it. We all know it's not going to be a difficult process, but we still need to know what to do.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Looks like they've backtracked a bit on this and I for one totally agree with the adjustment. It impacts those who were only connecting in the UK as opposed to traveling to the UK

https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...ransit-passengers-b2681048.html#comments-area

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-a-more-efficient-immigration-system

"However, following feedback from the aviation industry, the government has agreed a temporary exemption for passengers who transit airside, and therefore do not pass through UK border control.

This move will primarily affect Heathrow and Manchester airports, as the only UK airports which currently offer transit facilities. The exemption will be kept under review."

Be aware it looks like they want to increase the fee from 10 to 16 sterling pounds

 

[SirDuff]

Looks like they've backtracked a bit on this and I for one totally agree with the adjustment. It impacts those who were only connecting in the UK as opposed to traveling to the UK

https://www.independent.co.uk/trave...ransit-passengers-b2681048.html#comments-area

https://www.gov.uk/government/news/next-steps-for-a-more-efficient-immigration-system

"However, following feedback from the aviation industry, the government has agreed a temporary exemption for passengers who transit airside, and therefore do not pass through UK border control.

This move will primarily affect Heathrow and Manchester airports, as the only UK airports which currently offer transit facilities. The exemption will be kept under review."

Be aware it looks like they want to increase the fee from 10 to 16 sterling pounds

Thanks for flagging that. It makes them more aligned with most countries. Though some (like New Zealand) require it even for transit passengers. For Australia, depending on your passport, some people actually require a transit visa (unless you're transiting from/to Australia) which caught out one my staff a couple of weeks ago and she was denied boarding (she, apparently, missed the bit where, given her passport, the ETA was only if she was transiting to/from Australia). It became a whole complicated mess because she had argued for a self-purchased ticket rather than going through our normal travel system so, when she claimed the extra costs for revised ticket, accounting pointed out that the visa issue would have been flagged had she used the normal system. Luckily, the total costs were still under the normal cost liability for the routing, so we were able to get it reimbursed.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Thanks for flagging that. It makes them more aligned with most countries. Though some (like New Zealand) require it even for transit passengers. For Australia, depending on your passport, some people actually require a transit visa (unless you're transiting from/to Australia) which caught out one my staff a couple of weeks ago and she was denied boarding (she, apparently, missed the bit where, given her passport, the ETA was only if she was transiting to/from Australia). It became a whole complicated mess because she had argued for a self-purchased ticket rather than going through our normal travel system so, when she claimed the extra costs for revised ticket, accounting pointed out that the visa issue would have been flagged had she used the normal system. Luckily, the total costs were still under the normal cost liability for the routing, so we were able to get it reimbursed.

Yikes that does sound complicated! Glad it was good in the end but that's a good example for why it could get messy quick.

 

[Dznypal]

In reading most of the posts since we have a cruise for aug leaving out of England.
I first saw posts about the fees.
But then someone mentioned about no charge for people I’ve 70
So both of us will be over 70 by then. Me just by a month
So do we still need to get this visa since we’re over 70

Or is there no charge since we’re over 70
I better start con this now so I’m set in aug

 

[Woodview]

In reading most of the posts since we have a cruise for aug leaving out of England.
I first saw posts about the fees.
But then someone mentioned about no charge for people I’ve 70
So both of us will be over 70 by then. Me just by a month
So do we still need to get this visa since we’re over 70

Or is there no charge since we’re over 70
I better start con this now so I’m set in aug

In reading most of the posts since we have a cruise for aug leaving out of England.
I first saw posts about the fees.
But then someone mentioned about no charge for people I’ve 70
So both of us will be over 70 by then. Me just by a month
So do we still need to get this visa since we’re over 70

Or is there no charge since we’re over 70
I better start con this now so I’m set in aug

YOU WILL: need this no matter what your age is.

PAY up or no travel

 

[Woodview]

PAY up or no travel

Sorry That was a bit harsh.

No matter what your age is you will still have to buy it.

 

[SirDuff]

In reading most of the posts since we have a cruise for aug leaving out of England.
I first saw posts about the fees.
But then someone mentioned about no charge for people I’ve 70
So both of us will be over 70 by then. Me just by a month
So do we still need to get this visa since we’re over 70

Or is there no charge since we’re over 70
I better start con this now so I’m set in aug

Where are you seeing anything about being exempt (from fees or otherwise) if you're over 70? The page says the exact opposite (pertinent lines below):

Beginning on January 8, 2025 all travelers of any age visiting or transiting through the United Kingdom (England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) will be required to show documentation of a United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorization (UK ETA).
*******
○ Pay a fee of GBP 10 per person (for all ages), payable via credit card, debit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay.

Also, it's not a visa - you don't need a visa as someone with a US passport. It's an ETA (you need to be asking about the right thing).

Suggest you read up on things on the official site here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

In reading most of the posts since we have a cruise for aug leaving out of England.
I first saw posts about the fees.
But then someone mentioned about no charge for people I’ve 70
So both of us will be over 70 by then. Me just by a month
So do we still need to get this visa since we’re over 70

Or is there no charge since we’re over 70
I better start con this now so I’m set in aug

You're thinking of the ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System) where a fee is not charged for those under 18 and over age 70. What is being discussed in this thread is NOT that.

You are not exempted by age from the UK authorization requirement and a fee will be charged and will be required to be obtained if you are leaving from the UK.

 

[sayhello]

In reading most of the posts since we have a cruise for aug leaving out of England.
I first saw posts about the fees.
But then someone mentioned about no charge for people I’ve 70
So both of us will be over 70 by then. Me just by a month
So do we still need to get this visa since we’re over 70

Or is there no charge since we’re over 70
I better start con this now so I’m set in aug

Yes, as others have said, you *will* be required to have an ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) in order to travel to England for your cruise. *Currently* (at least as of 1/19/2025) the cost for the ETA is £10. There is an initiative up for a vote to increase the cost to £16, but I have not seen anything saying that it's been implemented yet. There is an app you use to apply.

This requirement has already gone into effect now.

The age exemption is only for the EU Travel Authorization (ETIAS). Totally separate thing. I have started a separate thread for the EU ETIAS.

Sayhello

 

[bookbabe626]

Warning. Double check that you are on the official UK govt website if you are applying online instead of via the app. MIL tried to google unsupervised and ended up paying $170 for the $12 ETA. Luckily, we caught it quickly and she was able to cancel that application and we did the application online for her. Took five minutes, got the approval almost immediately.