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By James Davey
LONDON (Reuters) - European visitors to Britain will have to purchase an electronic permit in advance for trips from Wednesday, as the UK government follows other countries in seeking to strengthen immigration security by screening people before they cross its borders.
The Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme requires all visitors who do not need a visa to enter Britain to purchase pre-travel authorisation online at a cost of 10 pounds (12 euros), rising to 16 pounds from April 9. Irish citizens are excluded.
The regime was initially rolled out to non-European nationals last year, including visitors from the United States, Canada and Australia.
"Expanding ETA worldwide cements our commitment to enhance security through technology and innovation," migration minister Seema Malhotra said last month.
Britain's Home Office, or interior ministry, said applying for an ETA should be simple through the UK ETA app, with the vast majority of applicants receiving a decision automatically in minutes.
Applicants provide a photo and biographic details and answer questions on suitability and criminality. Once an applicant has successfully applied, their ETA is digitally linked to their passport.
An ETA allows multiple visits to the UK of up to six months over a two-year period.
Airlines, ferry and train companies will be responsible for verifying the ETA status of travellers before they board.
Budget airline easyJet said on Tuesday it did not expect the new permit requirement to dent demand for Europe to UK travel.
The United Kingdom received 22.5 million visitors from the European Union in 2023, up from 19.0 million in 2022, according to official data.
The EU's much delayed post-Brexit border security checks for UK nationals entering the bloc are slated to be introduced in October. Britain left the EU in 2020.
The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) will remove the requirement to manually stamp passports at the EU’s external borders and instead create digital records that link a travel document to a person’s identity using biometrics.
EES will be a precursor to an enhanced system, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which will also require non-Schengen area citizens to pay a fee before they travel.
Britons currently pay about 17 pounds for a similar permit to enter the U.S.
($1 = 0.7744 pounds)
(1 euro = 0.8366 pounds)
(Reporting by James Davey; Editing by Alexandra Hudson)
