United Kingdom: Full ETA Enforcement Commences February 25; Dual Nationals May Need to Renew Expired Passports Before Travel

The situation 

As a reminder, the requirement for eligible nationals to possess an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will be strictly enforced (without discretion) from February 25, 2026.   

A closer look

• • ETA needed to enter the United Kingdom for those eligible. Since the ETA rule will be strictly enforced from February 25, 2026, those requiring an ETA to travel to the United Kingdom will not be allowed to travel to the United Kingdom unless they have one from this date. 
  • Dual nationals should renew their passports if needed. As a reminder, full enforcement of the ETA means dual national British/Irish citizens will no longer be able to travel to the United Kingdom on their non-British/non-Irish passport (whichever they have) since from February 25, 2026, they will need to prove their exemption from the ETA scheme by showing evidence of UK citizenship (such as their British passport or Certificate of Entitlement to the right of residence), or proof of Irish citizenship (whichever applies).  
     
    Importantly, this means those with expired passports seeking to travel to the United Kingdom should make sure they renew their UK/Irish passports in time for travel proposed after February 25, 2026.

Background

• • Digitalisation efforts. The ETA is part of broader efforts by the UK government to fully digitalise the country’s immigration system.
  • Information, monitoring and security. The ETA system is intended to provide more accurate information regarding the number of people travelling to the United Kingdom and where they are travelling from, in turn improving border security.

Impact

• • Additional planning. Affected travelers, employees and employers will need to account for this additional procedural step and cost when making plans for travel or transit through the United Kingdom. An ETA application is intended to be processed within minutes, but travelers should be prepared for potential delays. In some cases, ETA applications can potentially take up to three days to process, and there is no appeal mechanism if an application is refused (necessitating either a new ETA application or a separate visa application).
  • Monitoring of ETA. Travelers, employees and employers are advised to track the continued validity of their, or their employees’, ETAs.
  • Possession of proof of ETA exemption. Dual British and Irish citizens should ensure they acquire or renew, if they haven’t already, evidence of their British and Irish citizenship (whichever applies) when travelling to the United Kingdom, to prove the ETA exemption.  

Looking ahead

The price of the ETA is likely to increase later this year. We will report on related developments.

This alert is for informational purposes only. If you have any questions, please contact the global immigration professional with whom you work at Fragomen.