UK Travel Requirements
Last update: 30 January 2025
Get your holiday off to the best start by ensuring you have all the required UK travel documents and visas sorted before you depart. We’d hate for you to miss out on our charismatic small-group tours, so take the time to check what necessary documents you personally need to enter the UK in 2025.
Whether this is your first time visiting the UK and Northern Ireland, or your twentieth, it’s always best to stay up to date with travel entry requirements in case of updates and changes since your last visit. Find key information listed below regarding passports, ETAs and visas.
*All information at time of writing is correct, however it’s always best to check with governing authorities such as the official UK government website or Travel State Gov for US citizens.
Passport requirements vary depending on your nationality. They are traditionally broken down into three groupings:
Common Travel Areas (CTA) – This group is known as the UK, Ireland and the Crown Dependencies (Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man). Please check GOV.UK Common Travel Group guidance for passport requirements.
EU, EEA and Swiss Nationals – Passports are required when travelling between countries and they should be valid for the whole duration of your stay. National ID cards can sometimes be used on arrival to the UK, however, there are specific conditions to meet eg. An EU Settlement Scheme, or a Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man’s settlement schemes*. To check you are eligible to use a National ID card, please see GOV.UK guidance for visiting the UK for EU, EEA or Swiss citizens.
Rest of the World – Everyone categorised in the rest of the world must have a valid passport upon entering the Great Britain and Northern Ireland. This passport should also be valid for the whole duration of your stay.
*Please note, a settlement scheme is not the only requirement to be able to use a National ID card to enter the UK. Please check the GOV.UK website before departure to see if you meet the requirements.
The UK welcomes thousands of travellers to its shores every year. In 2025, border control is trying to deliver a more streamlined digital immigration system which will be quicker and more secure for travellers passing through.
Key changes to know about ETAs:
From the 8th January 2025, all eligible non-Europeans will need an ETA to travel the UK
Eligible Europeans can apply for an ETA from 5th March 2025, as they will need this to travel the UK from 2nd April 2025
Gulf Cooperation Council visitors already need an ETA to travel
ETAs are easy to apply for and can be done on GOV.UK. An ETA costs £10 and will permit multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to 6 months at a time over two years, or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever one is soonest. To check the latest information around ETAs, please use GOV.UK.
Most people visiting Great Britain and Northern Ireland from overseas will need a visa, but it always depends on your nationality and the country you are visiting. You can check which visa will apply to you through the GOV.UK visa checker.
