00:00New travel rules have gone into effect for European nationals going to the United Kingdom
00:05and electronic travel authorisation will now be required.
00:08Solange Moujian joins us in the studio for more on what exactly travellers need to know
00:14before they go.
00:15So what exactly is this document, Solange?
00:16Well, it's actually in the same vein as the ESTA requirements to go to the United
00:20States, which has been in place since 2009.
00:22The United Kingdom's EDA, or Electronic Travel Authorisation, is a waiver that travellers
00:28must apply for before they go to the United Kingdom.
00:31It actually was rolled out last November for a number of Middle East countries and then
00:35in January for the US, Canada and Australia and now, as of April 2nd, for some 30 European
00:41nations.
00:42There are exceptions to this requirement though, Ireland being one of the major ones.
00:47Irish nationals and then of course as well British citizens, dual nationals, all those
00:52that already have a visa or permission to work, study or live in the UK do not need
00:57it, nor do school class trips, but pretty much everyone else needs this EDA.
01:03And what is significant here, in my view at least, is how things have changed so fast
01:07in the past five years since Brexit.
01:10Not only are passports now required, but this electronic waiver is now mandatory as well.
01:15It's important to note that the UK is not the only one tightening its travel rules.
01:19The European Union is also slated to roll out a similar scheme in 2026.
01:24The EU one is called the ETIAS or the European Travel Information and Authorization System
01:30and I'll get more into the implications of all of this that it could all have.
01:34It rolls off your tongue really, doesn't it?
01:37Exactly.
01:38ETIAS.
01:39All the implications that this could have on tourism in a minute, but first some of
01:43the things that you need to know about the British authorization.
01:46You apply for it online.
01:47It is valid for two years as for as many trips as needed as long as you do not exceed the
01:53six-month stay.
01:54It is not a visa, so it does not guarantee entry.
01:58And if you are from a country that requires a visa, you still need to get it and the EDA.
02:04People of all ages need it, including children.
02:06You should get an answer on the online app in three days, but the Home Office says that
02:11it generally takes about 10 minutes to get the okay.
02:14So what happens if you arrive at an airport, a train station, a ferry, and you don't have the EDA?
02:19Well, the UK border control says that they'll be a bit lenient, at least in the beginning.
02:27There is a buffer period, if you want to call it that, a period where we won't necessarily
02:31be enforcing the ETA.
02:33So people will still be able to get on planes and trains while this introductory period
02:37takes place.
02:38But I believe in September or October, we will start enforcing the ETA.
02:43And in those circumstances, the individual wouldn't be able to get on the plane, wouldn't
02:47be able to get on the train in order to travel the UK.
02:50So Solange, how much is this going to cost us?
02:52And is this a way for the British money to, British government to make some money?
02:56Well, not necessarily, or not, not entirely.
03:00The UK border control says that they are doing this for security reasons, to tighten the
03:04British borders and check if people, check if people are entering, if they have criminal
03:08records, if they've been denied before, and to simply track who is coming into the UK.
03:13They also say that the scheme will allow for faster transit times, help transitioning,
03:19and it will help transition to automated control systems or e-gates.
03:24As for the cost, the ETA is £10, or about €12.
03:27But as of April 9th, so quite soon, it's going to be up to £16, or €19.
03:33It is also attached to one's passport.
03:35So if you get a new passport, you have to reapply and pay the fee again, even if the
03:40two-year period is not up.
03:42Now, millions of these ETAs will be issued every year, but the border control insists
03:47that it isn't for money-making purposes.
03:50Rather, they say it's to lighten the tax burden of border checks and digital immigration systems.
03:55Compared to other countries, the price of the UK's ETA is pretty much on par with the
04:00American ESTA, which is $21.
04:03But the £16 is a lot more, say, than Canada's one, which is $7, or the future EU one, which
04:09is expected to be €7.
04:10€7?
04:11That's cheap.
04:12We'll see.
04:13It's not rolled out yet.
04:14I know.
04:15At the end of next year.
04:16Now, many airlines have expressed concerns about these new rules going into effect.
04:19Do they expect a drop in tourism numbers?
04:22Well, it's really too early to know the effects that this ETA will have on tourism in the UK.
04:27But studies have repeatedly shown that visas in such schemes, and especially passport requirements,
04:32they do have a contracting or a shrinking effect on tourism.
04:36Not only because of the cost, but also because of the hassle.
04:39British airports, actually, they successfully lobbied for people that are in transit through
04:44Heathrow and Manchester airports to not have to use these and get these ETAs.
04:48That is big, because 84 million people travelled through Heathrow last year, and a third of
04:54them were from Europe.
04:55However, if those travellers do enter the United Kingdom outside of the airport and
05:00aren't just transferring flights, they will need to get an ETA.
05:04So on the one hand, you have these tightening of controls for security and financial reasons.
05:09But at the same time, you have tourism and travel industries pushing back and trying
05:13to get more people to travel.
05:15Now, Solange, there are a number of new travel routes being set up between this year and
05:21next between the UK and the EU.
05:24Tell us more.
05:25Yeah.
05:26Be it by plane or train or even by boat, there are every year a number of route changes.
05:30There are, for example, multiple new flights to the southwest of France, but also to other
05:34regions.
05:35The list is too long to go through here.
05:36But I thought I wanted to end this by telling you about one route that's getting people
05:41pretty excited.
05:42It's called the Project Brave, and it's a boat route from France to Scotland.
05:47And the idea was actually floated in 2022, but there wasn't enough funding.
05:51Now Project Brave is back, and it could connect potentially the port of Rossyth near Edinburgh
05:57to Dunkirk, France, sometime this year.
06:00There is one itty-bitty downer, though, to this more eco-friendly route, which is that
06:05it takes 20 hours or so for the crossing.
06:09And such new schemes like Project Brave, new flight routes, expanding Heathrow's airport
06:14may or may not help counterbalance the pressures that the British tourism industry is facing.
06:21And not only is there this new ETA authorization, but inflation and especially inflation and
06:26also the aftershocks of Brexit, they have affected the sector.
06:29With 38 million visitors in 2023, it still is not back to pre-COVID figures, whereas
06:34places like France, Italy, Spain, well, they have been seeing a record number of visitors.
06:39France, for example, had 98 million visitors in 2023 and over 100 million last year, making
06:45it again, once again, the most visited country in the world.
06:5020 hours, not so bad, if you have a nice cabin to sleep in.
06:52True, true.
06:53A cabin could be nice.
06:55Exactly.
06:56Thank you very much.
06:57Thank you very much for that.
06:58So long as we're all there.
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