As we look ahead to what’s in store for travel in 2025, significant changes are on the horizon on the United Kingdom and European Union borders with new entry and exit protocols due to come into force.
ETIAS and EES in the EU
The New Year will see the European Union on the verge of a new travel authorisation process for foreigners who previously have not required any visa for EU entry. Coming in spring 2025, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) means that arrivals to the EU from 60 nations (such as Australia, Canada, the UK and the US) will need to give themselves a 96-hour margin to apply for authorisation, pay a €7 fee, or approximately US $7.40 or £5.80, and wait for approval.
ETIAS is not the only new kid on the EU bloc though. The now-infamous Entry/Exit System, or EES, has been delayed several times, but is set for launch in the next year. It calls for no prior action on the part of travellers though – their details, including biometrics, will be registered when they cross into the territory. Like many such existing systems, for example in North America and Australia, it has been explained as a way of cracking down on “illegal overstays” in the EU.
The UK’s ETA
Meanwhile, the UK’s much-vaunted Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will be expanded one week into the New Year, on 8 January 2025, meaning that not only visitors from the Middle East, but now those from Australia, Canada, the United States and other non-European nations will from that date be required to apply for authorisation before entering the country.
Like ETIAS, the process involves an online application form, a £10 fee (€12) and a wait of usually a few hours but up to three working days for approval. Once granted, the ETA covers multiple entries, with stays of up to six months at a time permitted. It expires after two years or at the same time as the relevant passport.
The scheme will be rolled out to European Union citizens in the spring, on 2 April 2025. Citizens of Ireland are exempt under the Common Travel Area, as is anyone with a valid UK passport or visa.
Fit for digital age or privacy intrusion?
Seen by officials as a necessary part of a modern immigration system, the ETA has been hailed as “a significant step forward in delivering a border that’s efficient and fit for the digital age,” by Seema Malhotra, the UK Minister for Migration and Citizenship, who described it as “light-touch screening before people step foot in the UK” that “will keep our country safe while ensuring visitors have a smooth travel experience.”
Both schemes have been criticised by opponents who say they could damage the travel sector at a crucial point of post-Covid-19 recovery, as well as civil rights groups who are concerned about the creep of data surveillance. In Spain, a plan to gather more data about arrivals, using hoteliers and accommodation providers as a source, is facing a backlash from business representatives, as well as a possible legal challenge.
