People travelling to the UK without a visa will soon need to get an ETA. An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is a new requirement for people who do not need a visa to come to the UK. It gives you permission to travel to the UK, and it is electronically linked to your passport.
ETA will allow you to come to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or study. You can also come to the UK for up to 3 months on the creative worker visa and transit through the UK.
Qatar citizens need an ETA to travel to UK from 15th Nov 2023.
Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates nationals will also need an ETA to travel to UK from 22nd Feb 2024. British or Irish passport holders will not need an ETA. You will not need an ETA if you are entering from either Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey Isle of Man
You can apply ETA online through gov.uk website and you will usually get a decision in 3 working days. If there is any further check it may take longer than this period. ETA will last for 2 years and you can make multiple entries by using this. If you get a new passport in less than 2 years, you’ll need to get a new ETA. An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK.