United Kingdom: Statement of Changes Announces Forthcoming Expansion of Nationalities Requiring ETA, New Visa Requirements for Jordanian Nationals, Among Other Changes

September 10, 2024

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Country / Territory

At a Glance

  • As part of a new Statement of Changes, the United Kingdom announced the following changes, among other items:
    • the expansion of its Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme to encompass European nationals and further non-European nationals across 2024 and 2025;
    • the revoking of visa-exempt status for Jordanian nationals;
    • the creation of a Diplomatic Visa Arrangement; and
    • a new VIP Delegate Visa route to accommodate certain numbers of the entourages of state leaders and ministers visiting the United Kingdom.
  • The various changes listed in this recent Statement of Changes will take effect in a staggered fashion from September 2024 to February 2025.

The situation

As part of a new Statement of Changes, the United Kingdom announced plans to expand its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to European and non-European nationalities across 2024 and 2025, as well as the revocation of visa-exempt status for Jordanian nationals, among other changes.

Change Impact

Updates to the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme.

  • New nationalities. Further nationalities will become subject to ETA The roll-out is in two phases as follows:
    • From November 27, 2024, further eligible non-European nationals will be able to apply for an ETA; and from January 8, 2025 these nationals will need an ETA in order to travel to the United Kingdom.
    • From March 5, 2025, eligible European nationals will be able to apply for an ETA; and from April 2, 2025 these nationals will need an ETA in order to travel to the United Kingdom.
  • New refusal grounds. Two additional grounds will be added for refusal of an ETA (and instead will need to apply for a visa) as follows:
    • those who have previously been refused a visit visa or permission to enter as a visitor unless granted a visa since that refusal; and
    • applicants who have previously had an ETA cancelled for other reasons.

Further details about ETAs, including the application process, validity, and exceptions can be found here.
  • Additional planning and cost. Affected travellers, 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. 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 validity. Travelers, employees and employers will need to track the continued validity of their, or their employees’, ETAs.

Visa requirement for Jordanian nationals.

  • New visa rule. Effective September 10, 2024, nationals of Jordan need a visa to enter and stay, or (in certain cases) transit through, the United Kingdom; whereas previously they could enter and stay, or transit through, the country without a visa.
  • Transitional measures. In a transitional measure, Jordanian nationals who satisfy all of the following conditions will still be able to enter the United Kingdom without a visa:
      • They obtained an ETA and booked their trip to the United Kingdom prior to 15:00 (BST) on September 10, 2024; and
      • They will be travelling to the United Kingdom prior to 15:00 (BST) October 8, 2024.
  • Transit visas. Transit visas will only be necessary where the traveller will be transiting in the United Kingdom for less than 48 hours and, as part of this period, they will leave the main airport building or if they must collect their bags and check them in for onward flights.
  • Removal from ETA list. Given the new visa requirement, Jordan has been removed from the ETA list. 

Jordanian nationals now face increased administrative and monetary costs travelling to the United Kingdom, including for business travel purposes. This may affect employer mobility strategy regarding whether to send Jordanian nationals to the United Kingdom for business travel. 

In addition to the above changes, the SOCs introduce a VIP Delegate Visa for state and ministerial delegations and a Diplomatic Visa.

  • ETA extension. The ETA was first launched on November 15, 2023, for nationals of Qatar, before being expanded in February 2024 to include nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Jordan (which has now been removed), Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
  • Digitalization efforts. The ETA is part of broader efforts by the UK government to make the country’s immigration system fully digitalized by 2025.
  • 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.

The various changes listed in this recent Statement of Changes will take effect in a staggered fashion across September 2024 to February 2025. We will monitor the 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 or send an email to [email protected].

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