ETIAS
 

Just checking with the cabin that the ETIAS still hasn't started? We are traveling to the EU in July and returning to the UK on a short 3 wks holiday and as such we don't need a Visa post Brexit till the ETIAS starts....
Is there a start date yet for them??

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/eu-entryexit-system

'The exact date that EES will be introduced has not been confirmed.'

It may be simpler to get an EU passport, some countries are fast-tracking UK applicants. My country, Ireland, is not one of them, the backlog is about two years. Irish and Danish passports are the best, you don't have to be fingerprinted (national privacy laws prevent this).

I really do recommend having at least two passports. I have an EU one for entering the EU and a UK one for entering the UK. My kids have three, they were born in Canada. This means they can live, study, and work in Canada, whereas I, their father, can only stay there for 90 days as a tourist. They were born there, I wasn't. Canada is one of the few countries that says 'if you're born on our soil, you're one of us'.

From the UK Government Voisins Voices newsletter which I received on 18 December 2024. Of course some of the content is of particular interest to British nationals living in France ... but a lot of the factual information should be helpful to Kiltrash and other PPRuNe members, and I wouldn't like to guarantee that this will all happen in accordance with the proposed time plan ... just sayin' !!.

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1. EES: EU Entry/Exit System

The EU plans to introduce the Entry/Exit System (EES). The exact date that EES will be introduced has not been confirmed. Once introduced, non-EU nationals, including UK nationals, visiting the EU will need to create a digital record when entering the EU’s Schengen Zone. This includes providing biometric data (fingerprints and facial image) at the border.

If you are a UK national with rights under the Withdrawal Agreement, you will be exempt from EES registration, if you have the correct documentation.

In France, documents that allow exemption include all forms of Withdrawal Agreement residency permits, including 5-year, 10-year and permanent residency permits. Any other valid residency permit issued by France or any other EU member state will also mean that you are exempt.

Please note that minors must be in possession of a Document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM), whether travelling accompanied or alone, to be exempt from EES. DCEMs are free for beneficiaries of the Withdrawal Agreement. Apply for a DCEM through the French government website Document de circulation pour étranger mineur (DCEM) Service-Public.fr. If you have one of these documents, you will not need to register in the EES when travelling.

Find out more information on the EES initiative on the EU’s official Travel Europe website.

2. Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

ETAs will be implemented for European Nationals travelling to the UK in 2025. Nationalities from the following locations* can apply for an ETA from 5 March 2025, with an ETAs becoming obligatory from 2 April 2025. (* Link already opened for you below …)

An ETA allows you to travel to the UK to visit for up to 6 months. Whether you can apply depends on:

• the date you travel
• your nationality as shown on your passport

Who can apply now

These nationalities can apply for an ETA to travel to the UK now.

• Bahrain
• Kuwait
• Oman
• Qatar
• Saudi Arabia
• United Arab Emirates

If you are travelling on or after 8 January 2025

Nationalities from the following locations (including associated territories) can apply for an ETA now.

These nationalities do not need an ETA to travel to the UK on or before 7 January 2025.

• Antigua and Barbuda
• Argentina
• Australia
• The Bahamas
• Barbados
• Belize
• Botswana
• Brazil
• Brunei
• Canada
• Chile
• Costa Rica
• Grenada
• Guatemala
• Guyana
• Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British national overseas)
• Israel
• Japan
• Kiribati
• Macao Special Administrative Region
• Malaysia
• Maldives
• Marshall Islands
• Mauritius
• Mexico
• Federated States of Micronesia
• Nauru
• New Zealand
• Nicaragua
• Palau
• Panama
• Papua New Guinea
• Paraguay
• Peru
• Samoa
• Seychelles
• Singapore
• Solomon Islands
• South Korea
• St Kitts and Nevis
• St Lucia
• St Vincent and the Grenadines
• Taiwan (if you have a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan)
• Tonga
• Trinidad and Tobago
• Tuvalu
• United States
• Uruguay

Who can apply from 5 March 2025

Nationalities from the following locations (including associated territories) can apply for an ETA from 5 March 2025.

They can travel to the UK with an ETA from 2 April 2025.

• Andorra
• Austria
• Belgium
• Bulgaria
• Croatia
• Cyprus
• Czechia
• Denmark
• Estonia
• Finland
• France
• Germany
• Greece
• Hungary
• Iceland
• Italy
• Latvia
• Liechtenstein
• Lithuania
• Luxembourg
• Malta
• Monaco
• Netherlands
• Norway
• Poland
• Portugal
• Romania
• San Marino
• Slovakia
• Slovenia
• Spain
• Sweden
• Switzerland
• Vatican City

Other nationalities

Other nationalities cannot get an ETA. Check if you need a visa instead.

2.1 Who does not need an ETA

Please check this link to find out if you currently need an ETA or check if your nationality can apply later.

Students aged 18 and under travelling on a French organised school trip, which has properly completed the UK-FR School Travel Information Form will be exempt from ETA. Teachers and guardians travelling as part of the trip will NOT be exempted and should ensure they have properly requested an ETA ahead of travel.

2.2 You do not need an ETA if any of these apply to you:

• you have a visa
• you have permission to live, work or study in the UK (including settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme)
• you are a British or Irish citizen
• you are travelling with a British overseas territories citizen passport
• you live in Ireland and you are travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man

2.3 Dual citizens

• If you are a dual citizen with British or Irish citizenship, you do not need an ETA. Prove your permission to travel using your British passport, Irish passport or other passport containing a certificate of entitlement.

2.4 What you can do with an ETA

You can get an ETA instead of a visa if you are:

• coming to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study
• coming to the UK for up to 3 months on the Creative Worker visa concession
• coming to the UK for a permitted paid engagement
• transiting through the UK – including if you are not going through UK border control
• If you are coming to the UK for another reason, check if you need a visa instead

2.5 What you cannot do with an ETA

You cannot:

• stay in the UK for longer than 6 months
• do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless you are doing a permitted paid engagement or event or work on the Creative Worker visa concession
• claim public funds (benefits)
• live in the UK through frequent or successive visits
• marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership - you will need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa

2.6 How much it costs

It costs £10 to apply. Everyone travelling needs to get an ETA, including babies and children. You can apply for other people.

You cannot get a refund after you apply.

2.7 Before you start

You need:

• the passport you will travel with - not a photocopy or digital passport
• access to your emails
• a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay
• you will need to upload or take photos of the:
• passport
• face of the person applying
• you do not need to enter your travel details
• apply for an ETA
• the fastest way to apply is using the UK ETA app

3. School trips and ETA

The government has considered the implications of the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme on French school groups visiting the UK, and has agreed that children aged 18 and under travelling as part of a French school group will be temporarily exempted from the ETA requirement until a group solution is developed. This will allow EU, EEA and Swiss children to continue to use their identity cards on organised French school trips to the UK so long as they meet the requirements of the Immigration Rules. The UK-FR school trip form provides the exemption for ETA and must be used to benefit from the exemption. The form may still be used even if all school children have passports.

This agreement is specific to France and helps to maintain educational and cultural links with our closest continental neighbour. We will keep the position under review and ensure that we continue to operate our border in the UK’s best interests.
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I do hope this helps a bit ... and I've tried to leave the original hyperlinks in this document for further information. Good luck to us all!