Michael Coy
SPANISH citizens intending to visit the UK must now get a new digital permission starting from Wednesday, 2 April.
A tourist visit (that is, a stay of less than six months) will require an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). Minors also need this document.
And it’s not just Spain. The new regulations apply to all EU countries, bringing the European Union into line with the rest of the world.
Registration, which can be done on the British Government website or using the UK ETA app, will have an initial cost of £10 (about €12) and will last for two years, once approval is received.
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During those two years, people can travel to the United Kingdom as often as they like for stays of less than six months.
In the coming months, an increase to £16 (about €19) is expected.
Registration will be a very simple and quick online process, as authorisation typically takes between a few hours and a couple of days.
The aim of the ETA, according to the Embassy, ‘is to improve the digital immigration system.’
These changes will make the process faster and safer for the millions of people who cross the UK’s borders each year.
Specifically, the UK receives around two million travellers (most of them holiday-makers) from Spain.
According to the Foreign Office’s latest travel advice, those who stop over in the United Kingdom and need to recheck their baggage or go through border control also require an ETA.
This electronic authorisation is not required for transits that do not involve border control, which only applies to Heathrow (T4) and Manchester airports.
The only exemptions from this authorisation requirement are those citizens who already have a visa to travel to the United Kingdom; those who have permission to live, work, or study in the United Kingdom, including pre-settled or settled status under the European Union Settlement Scheme or Indefinite Leave to Remain.
For this purpose, it’s essential to have an updated UKVI profile with the travel document you use, such as your passport or ID card; Be a British or Irish citizen, or hold dual nationality and a valid British or Irish passport, or a valid passport containing a Certificate of Entitlement; or travel on a British Overseas Territories citizen passport, as well as live in Ireland.
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This authorisation is processed electronically and must be obtained before traveling to the United Kingdom through gov.uk/app.
Specifically, the British Embassy in Madrid announced on March 5 that it was opening the Electronic Travel Authorisation to European citizens, similar to those that have been or will be introduced in other countries to improve border security, such as the United States or Australia.
If we take the 2001 UK Census as a benchmark, we see that the numbers are tiny. There were only 54,000 Spanish nationals residing in Britain (roughly the equivalent of Rincon de la Victoria).
This rose by the time of the 2011 Census to about 82,000 – but then Brexit intervened, making the UK less attractive as a place to live, work and study.
Consequently, this statistic (no current data are available) is likely to have diminished.
The areas with the highest concentrations of Spanish citizens were South and West London, including the boroughs of Kensington and Chelsea, Lambeth, and Southwark, suggesting that most Spanish passport-holders living in London are there on government and diplomatic business.
According to analysis by the Institute for Public Policy Research, 71.22% of recent Spanish immigrants to the UK of working age are employed, as opposed to unemployed or inactive (which includes students), compared to 73.49% of British-born people.
As much as 15.05% of recent Spanish-born immigrants are low earners, defined as having an income of less than £149.20 per week (compared to 21.08 per cent of British-born people), and 2.15% are high earners, earning more than £750 per week (compared to 6.98 per cent of British-born people).
Alex Ellis, Britain’s ambassador to Spain, said of the ETA: “It is important that people comply with this new procedure, which simply aims to improve security management.
“The United Kingdom is delighted to continue welcoming travellers from Spain, who make a great contribution to our country.”
