ETAs will be required for all foreign visitors entering the UK visa-free

Although persons legally resident in the Republic of Ireland will be exempt, foreign tourists visiting the Island of Ireland who wish to enter Northern Ireland from the Republic will be subject to the Electronic Travel Authorization requirement beginning sometime in 2024.

Currently travelers from the EU and other countries like the USA and Australia can visit the UK visa-free and without having to apply for any sort of travel document.

With continued rollout through most of 2024, the ETA requirement will begin to be applied to all non-UK residents - except only for residents of the Republic of Ireland - beginning with Qataris in October 2023.

UK Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said in a statement that strengthening the country's border is one of his government's top priorities post-Brexit. Improving the UK travel experience for visitors from GCC states is a goal also - hence the early offer to Qataris, to be followed by the rest of the GCC states and Jordan in early 2024..

It's anticipated that applications for the ETA will be done via an online app, with rapid approval good for 2 years. Application fees have not yet been announced.

The ETA system is likely to be a major headache for tour operators and a potential loss of tourist spend for both Ireland and NI because 70% of foreign tourists - including Americans, who tend not to understand that NI is part of the UK - enter NI via the Republic and are accustomed to traveling throughout the Island of Ireland document-free.

Will tour operators be able to handle this new bureaucratic hassle? How will Americans popping over for a weekend and other FITs find out about it? Will Tourism Ireland run a global education campaign? Stay tuned.