Eta Travel Permit: Who the UK’s New Digital Travel Rules Hit First — and why dual nationals are scrambling

Why this matters now: The eta travel permit requirement goes live from 25 February and immediately affects travellers from 85 countries — including citizens of the United States, Canada and France — who previously travelled visa-free. Dual nationals are feeling the impact first: some have been forced to rush passport renewals, face boarding refusals, or confront rules that demand proof of the right of abode before they can board a flight, ferry or train to the UK.

Who is affected and how the Eta Travel Permit changes travel access

The new system creates a first wave of friction for non-visa nationals and, notably, for people holding dual nationality. From today, non-visa nationals without an Electronic Travel Authorisation will be barred from entering the UK and carriers will prevent passengers from boarding if they lack an ETA, eVisa or other valid documentation. British and Irish citizens — including dual citizens — are exempt from needing an ETA but must present a valid British passport or a Certificate of Entitlement when travelling to the UK; carriers may at their discretion accept some expired British passports as alternative documentation.

How the rules work in practice: length of stay, fees, exceptions and transit

The ETA is described as a digital permission to travel. Once approved, it permits multiple journeys, allows a stay in the UK of up to six months, and is valid for two years or until the holder’s passport expires, whichever is sooner. The fee is set at £16 for now with a plan to increase to £20 in future announcements. The government frames the fee as competitive with comparable systems elsewhere; an example given notes the US ESTA at $40 and the EU ETIAS expected at €20.

• Applies to travellers from 85 nationalities, including the United States, Canada and France.
• Visits for tourism, business and short-term study are covered; longer study or work trips still require a visa.
• Transit travellers who do not pass through border security at UK airports do not need an ETA; travellers who cross the border or transit routes that pass through border control do need one.
• People who normally need a visa still need one and do not have to apply for an ETA in addition.

Parliamentary pushback, individual disruptions and the government response

MPs raised cases of honeymooners and other Britons caught out by the new passport requirements. One MP described constituents fearing they could be stranded on their honeymoon because of the rule change. Another MP said several constituents only learned about the changes through recent coverage. A British Australian man who approached the press anonymously said the rules had prevented him from attending his father’s funeral, and that renewing a passport from overseas would take six weeks in his case.

The Home Office minister rejected calls for a grace period and described criticism as absurd, saying officials and ministers had spent years planning and that the change had been in the public domain. He also said recent coverage reflected the department’s efforts to publicise the change. The minister said he would host a drop-in session with MPs next Monday to discuss individual cases, and pointed to consular services overseas and emergency travel documents for urgent travel. The department said it could not comment on individual cases.

Costs, documentary requirements and timelines travellers should note

Under the tightened boarding rules, British dual nationals must present either a valid or an expired British passport, or a Certificate of Entitlement costing £589, to prove right of abode before boarding. The government has set passport-replacement timelines it says consular services can meet: dual nationals would obtain a passport within four weeks in typical cases and in some cases as fast as nine days. Critics in parliament called the communication plan insufficient and described the roll-out as haphazard.

Here’s the part that matters for travel plans: airlines will block boarding for missing digital permission, and renewing documents from abroad can create multi-week delays that affect weddings, funerals and holidays.

• Oct 2023: ETA scheme launched but not strictly enforced to allow adjustment.
• Nov (year unclear in the provided context): Government announced ETAs would be mandatory from 25 February.
• 25 February: ETA requirement becomes mandatory for non-visa nationals.

What’s easy to miss is that the rules combine a digital gate (the ETA) with unchanged passport-control processes: travellers will still pass through passport control on arrival even with an approved ETA.

If you’re planning travel to the UK, check passport validity and documentary proof of the right of abode early; emergency options exist but may not remove weeks-long delays in routine passport renewals.