Starting next year, electronic visas will be needed to travel to London and the UK
The UK entry system is about to change once again. If Brexit forces travelers to [...]
United Kingdom
The UK entry system is about to change once again. If Brexit forces travelers to have passports to land in the UK, the required documents could increase from 2023. In fact, the British government is reasoning about the possibility of implementing the system of theElectronic Travel Authorization. Before long we may have to apply for official authorization to enter the country, even if we are European citizens.
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UK Travel Permit
The project under development may be an unnecessary complication for tourists, but things are otherwise. In fact, the new system aims to implement a state-of-the-art procedure by 2024. The goal is to be able to provide the chance for visitors to Crossing borders in a completely contactless manner. Some passengers, with prior permission, will be allowed into the United Kingdom without having to use the e-passport gate or even talk to a border officer.
Everything will take place before the trip. In the comfort of home, bureaucratic procedures can be taken care of. Kind of like checking in early so as to save time at the airport. Visitors will have to Upload a photo of them to a platform, sending it to the British Home Office by a certain date before departure. This will begin a pre-screening phase, which will enable recognition through the latest technology, subject to acceptance of the travel permit.
UK: travel with facial recognition
Priti Patel announced the blueprint for the new way to enter the U.K. as follows, "I am committed to taking back control of our immigration system through my New Plan. This includes ensuring that we have a border in step with the 21st century, allowing travelers to get a visa and cross the border easily while protecting national security."
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Upon receiving approval of the request for access via facial recognition, the experience of traveling to the United Kingdom will be entirely different from what has been experienced in recent years. Goodbye to physical entry checks. One will, however, have to be willing to provide the government with biographical and biometric details.
But what is the travel permit that will be introduced starting in 2023? The major innovation introduced by the Home Office, which excludes citizens holding a British or Irish passport, will push passengers to have a fully electronic prior authorization. This will present a cost of about 21 euros, requesting photos of one's face, biographical data, contact info and filling out a form, answering a few questions.
We will start getting acquainted with the ETA from next year, then realizing the commonalities with the ESTA present in the United States, although it is not a visa. A trial will be launched from March 2023. In this preliminary stage interested visitors will be those from Kuwait, Qatar, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Oman and Bahrain. They will then move on to make the technology entry process active for all by the end of next year.
