Written Question·Cabinet Office·UIN 90867

Electronic Travel Authorisations: Reciprocal Arrangements

Tabled: 13 November 2025
Answered: 19 November 2025
Named Day

Question

Dr Al Pinkerton

Liberal Democrat — Surrey Heath

To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of negotiating reciprocal exemptions from new electronic travel authorisation schemes with the European Union.

Answer

Nick Thomas-Symonds

HMG officials and Ministers regularly engage EU counterparts on a range of issues affecting UK nationals. The EU is developing the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), their pre-travel authorisation system for third-country nationals. This will apply to those who do not need a visa to travel to the Schengen area. The European Commission has confirmed that ETIAS will apply to British citizens, when it is introduced. The UKs electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme is fully implemented for non-visa national visitors to the UK, this includes EU nationals.