UK visa holders living, working or studying in Britain are now issued an eVisa

The British government is taking significant steps to digitize the UK immigration system. By April 2025, all foreign visitors who do not need a visa will need an electronic travel authorization (ETA) to travel to the UK.

The British government has taken major steps towards delivering its ambitious aim to digitize the UK border and immigration system and has set out new implementation dates for the electronic travel authorization (ETA) scheme.

Except for British and Irish nationals, everyone visiting the UK must first obtain permission to travel by using an ETA or an eVisa.

From 27 November 2024, eligible non-Europeans can apply for an ETA and will need an ETA to travel from 8 January 2025. ETAs will then extend to eligible Europeans from 5 March 2025, who will need an ETA to travel from 2 April 2025.

People who require a UK visa to live, work, or study in the UK are now issued an eVisa, which provides digital proof of immigration status rather than physical immigration paperwork that can be lost, stolen, or tampered with. eVisas eliminates the need for people to wait for or travel to obtain a physical document, expediting their experience.

ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller’s passport and ensure more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK.

An ETA costs £10 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to 6 months at a time over 2 years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner.  Gulf Cooperation Council visitors already need an ETA to travel to the UK.

The introduction of ETAs is in line with the approach many other countries have taken to border security, including the US and Australia.

The government is asking migrants in the UK who currently use a physical immigration document, including a biometric residence permit (BRP), or a passport containing ink stamps or visa vignette stickers, to take action now and create an online account to access their eVisa.

Most BRPs are due to expire on 31 December 2024, and BRP holders are urged to take action before their BRP expires. Most BRPs will expire on 31 December 2024. The expiry date of your BRP is printed on your permit. You can continue to use your BRP until it expires. You will not be able to use your BRP to prove your immigration status after your BRP has expired. You’ll need to use an eVisa instead.

If you do not have a UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI) account already, you’ll have to create an account. You can do this at the same time as you set up access to your eVisa.

Creating the account enables people to use online services to prove their rights and manage their data, such as their personal details and passport information, and won’t impact their underlying immigration status.