Now imminent: UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Regime to Be Fully Enforced from 25 February 2026

As we have written before, the Government will be fully enforcing the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) regime from 25 February 2026, meaning that those who require an ETA but do not have one will be denied boarding.

Recap – who needs an ETA?

By way of a recap, those visiting or transiting (landside) the UK who currently do not require a visa for short stays will need an ETA from 25 February, or otherwise will be denied boarding. This will include those visiting for tourism, to see family and friends, on business trips or attending events. It will also include those wishing to enter on the Creative worker concession or for a Permitted Paid Engagement.

Those who do not need an ETA includes those who need a visa to visit the UK, those who have a visa to live, work or study in the UK, including under the EU Settlement Scheme, British or Irish passport holders, those legally resident in Ireland who do not require a visa for travel to the UK, those exempt from immigration control, those who have British Overseas Territories Citizens (BOTC) or British National Overseas (BNO) passports, and those who are transiting airside.

What if I hold an eVisa?

eVisa holders are already required to ensure that their UKVI account is up to date with the details of the passport being used to travel, and that these are linked to their eVisa. If the eVisa has not been updated, boarding may be denied and delays are likely as a manual check is required for permission to travel.

Update on dual British or Irish nationals

Dual British or Irish nationals must hold a valid British or Irish passport or a certificate of entitlement, to travel to the UK from 25 February. There has been widespread media coverage highlighting dual British or Irish nationals severely impacted by the changes. In response, the Home Office released updated guidance on 20 February 2026, which says that carriers, such as airlines and ferry companies, may allow dual British or Irish nationals to travel where the person has all of the following:

• an expired UK passport, issued in 1989 or later;
• a valid passport for a nationality eligible for an ETA; and
• the personal details on both these passports match.

If relying on this, there is still a risk that the carrier will refuse boarding, and additional identity checks will be required to verify the person’s citizenship before they can go through passport control.

This updated guidance will not help dual nationals where they never obtained a British passport, who previously could use their other nationality passport to enter the UK.

MPs have since called for a grace period to be implemented urgently for dual nationals, to allow them to reasonable time to obtain a passport, citing the Government’s haphazard communication and the high fees for expedited passport services, or long waits to return home.

Rights organisations have proposed a grace period, during which dual British nationals could obtain temporary authorisation costing no more than £16 (matching ETA fees), where citizenship can be verified through naturalisation certificates or previous UK passports. They have cited that in Canada, similar enforcement was delayed by eight months, and special authorisation remains available for dual Canadian citizens.

In the absence of any further grace period, and in any case, dual nationals who do not have a passport should obtain one where time allows. Those who have previously held a UK passport can alternatively apply for an Emergency Travel Document to limit the risk of travel disruption.

Five key steps

For any travel from 25 February, we recommend that you:

• Consider whether you need an ETA and apply for one in good time before travel;
• If you have an eVisa, check that your UKVI account is updated with your current passport and that this is linked to your eVisa;
• If you are dual British or Irish national without a valid British or Irish passport or certificate of entitlement, consider applying for one as soon as possible. Alternatively consider if you meet the exception in the above guidance, or if you can apply for an Emergency Travel Document;
• If you are an employer, consider issuing communications to affected staff;
• If you are an employer, consider reviewing your business travel policy.

If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with our Immigration Team.