The UK Government has announced new visa rules for visitors to the UK from the Gulf. It will cover tourists, business visitors and those travelling to the UK for medical treatment.

The scheme will initially start with nationals of Qatar in November 2023 before being extended to nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in February 2024. These states (with the exception of Jordan) are all members of the Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC).

The new scheme introduces the needs for pre-travel authorisation, akin to the ESTA system in place for the USA. The Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme is an online application that must be carried out before visiting the UK. The process is expected to include uploading biometric details and answering various questions aimed at assessing suitability of being able to visit the UK. It is expected that responses on applications will be reached within 3 business days.

Following this pilot aimed at Middle Eastern nations, is the intention is to roll this scheme out to all non-visa nationals by the end of 2024. That will cover nationals of countries like USA, Canada, Australia, Israel, Singapore as well as nationals of all EU/EEA countries, except for Ireland.

The policy intention is to increase border security by screening all visitors to the UK in advance of their visits. For visitors who currently have visa free travel to the UK, it is an additional hurdle to entering the UK, but could make the process of passing through UK passport control simpler, with less checks required.

What does this mean for nationals of the Gulf states?

As it stands at the moment, nationals of the affected Gulf nations apply for an Electronic Visa Waiver before they visit the UK. This is a similar system of pre-approval; however it is only for members of the Gulf Cooperation Council.

Whilst the Home Office is yet to confirm the exact cost of the new application, they have stated that this will be in line with other schemes that are similar (such as the USA’s ESTA scheme), and it will be cheaper than the current Electronic Visa Waiver.

The new system will give authorisation for a period of two years and will allow multiple visits during that time which makes the process less burdensome than it could be. The existing Electronic Visa Waiver is a single use scheme, and frequent visitors currently need to apply every time they travel to the UK. This extended period of permission will benefit those who are frequent visitors to the UK, either for leisure or for business. Overall, the new system will allow for cheaper and simpler approval for Gulf nationals than they currently enjoy through the existing Electronic Visa Waiver.

Broader roll out

Given the plan is that this will be rolled out worldwide to nationals of all nations that do not currently require a UK visitor visa, this will end the current limbo state of Gulf nations who currently occupy a middle ground between the UK’s visa required and visa free travel nations. It brings the Gulf countries into line with the rest of the UK’s non-visa national countries, which are generally viewed as lower risk nations for visa purposes. This positive move will hopefully lead to increased business opportunities between the UK and the Gulf nations.

It is important to remember that this is a new system that is being introduced, and not simply a continuation of the Electronic Visa Waiver. Therefore, there may be teething issues or other problems that arise from this new system when launched which could cause issues or delays for visitors from Gulf states. It is important that those travelling to the UK from the region are aware of the changes in order to ensure that the correct pre-travel authorisations are in place before travel.

For further advice on this scheme, or to discuss any other UK immigration issues, please contact Jamie Kerr.

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