The BBC is reporting this morning that the UK is planning to introduce a new ‘permit in advance’ scheme for travel to the United Kingdom. The scheme is said to be part of a move to a ‘fully digital border which the Home Office says will help keep out dangerous criminals and make it easier to count arrivals accurately.”

The Electronic Travel Authorisation System (ETAS) will be similar in concept to the United States’ Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) scheme and the European Union’s European Travel Information and Authorization Syste (ETIAS) scheme which comes into force next year

Which nationalities will need the ETIAS visa waiver?

Non-citizens who wish to visit and are entitled to come visa-free for short stays will have to fill in the online form before they arrive in the UK.

This form and the information entered will be checked against security databases and will only be able to travel once cleared.