AMMAN — According to United Kingdom’s Foreign, Commonwealth
& Development Office, nationals from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and
Jordan will soon only be required to pay £10 for an
Electronic Travel Authorization scheme (ETA).
اضافة اعلان
The new system will make travel to Britain cheaper and
easier for visitors from the Gulf and Jordan.
The ETA will allow visitors to visit the UK multiple times
over a two-year period.
This is compared to Gulf nationals currently paying £30 per
visit to the UK under the current Electronic Visa Wavier (EVW) scheme and
Jordanian nationals £100 for a visit visa.
ETA to launch for GCC, Jordanian nationals in 2024
The scheme is set to launch for Qatari nationals in October
2023, and for the rest of the GCC states and Jordan in February 2024 ahead of a
worldwide expansion throughout 2024.
Earlier this year, the UK government announced plans to
introduce a new ETA scheme as part of a digitization of the UK border by 2025
to further enhance border security and the customer experience.
An ETA is a digital permission to travel for those visiting
or transiting through the UK who do not need a visa for short stays, or who do
not currently hold another UK visa.
Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said “Visitors from the
Gulf states and Jordan make a huge contribution to the UK’s tourism industry
and the new ETA scheme will make it easier and cheaper for them to travel to
the UK.”
Meanwhile, Minister of State for the Middle East, North
Africa and South Asia Lord Ahmad said “I’m delighted that our partners across
the Gulf and Jordan will be the first to benefit from the UK’s new Electronic
Travel Authorization scheme. This scheme is further proof of the strong
partnership between the UK and countries across the region.”
Gulf visitors are highly valuable to the UK economy, with
over 790,000 Gulf visitors spending £2 billion during their stays in the UK
last year.
The move to the ETA scheme means that the visa requirement
will be removed for nationals from GCC states and Jordan, bringing the
requirements for them to visit the UK in line with other visitors, such as
those from the US and Australia.
The application process for an ETA will be simple and fast
to complete, with the process being entirely digital via a mobile phone app.
To apply, individuals will need to provide biographic and
biometric details such as a digital photograph and answer a set of suitability
questions.
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