The UK Government has announced a major change to visit visa requirements for GCC nationals.
The Government will remove visit visa requirements for citizens from the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and also Jordan.
Instead they will be offered an Electronic Travel Authorisation lasting two years for just £10 ($12). It means Gulf travellers and Jordanians will have entry requirements in line with citizens of the US and Australia.
UK visa rule change
Previously GCC nationals have had to apply for a £30 ($37) document for every separate visit.
The announcement was made on the United Kingdom government website.
It said nationals from the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) states and Jordan will soon only be required to pay £10 to apply for an ETA, which will allow them 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.
The scheme is set to launch for Qatari nationals in October 2023, and for the rest of the Gulf Cooperation Council 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 digitisation 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 United Kingdom 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.
“The cost of an ETA will be one of the best value in the world compared to similar international schemes. This small additional cost to visitors will enable us to bolster the security of the UK border and keep our communities safe.
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 Authorisation scheme.
“This scheme is further proof of the strong partnership between the UK and countries across the region.
“By cutting costs and visa requirements, the ETA scheme will ensure visitors from the Gulf states and Jordan can enjoy travelling with ease to the UK, boosting business and tourism links between our countries.”
Gulf visitors are highly valuable to the UK economy, with more than 790,000 spending £2bn ($2.5bn) during their stays in the United Kingdom 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 United Kingdom 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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