Malaysians travelling to the UK will require Electronic Travel Authorisation starting Jan 2025

Malaysians who are planning to visit the United Kingdom will soon to have apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). At the moment, Malaysians can travel to the UK for tourism and stay there for up to 6 months without a visa.

The new requirement came after the UK government announced the expansion of ETA implementation to more countries across the world. However, those who are required to obtain a visa to visit the UK don’t have to apply for ETA.

Malaysians can apply for UK ETA from November onwards

If you are planning to travel to the UK from 8 January 2025 onwards, you would then be required to obtain the UK ETA. According to the UK government, here are the things you will be allowed to do once you receive your UK ETA:

• Visit the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family & friends, business, or short-term study
• Visit the UK for up to 3 months on a Creative Worker visa concession
• Visit the UK for a permitted paid engagement
• Transiting through the UK

Just to be clear, you must obtain the ETA before you travel to the UK. For Malaysians, the application for the UK ETA will be opened on 27 November 2024.

UK ETA pricing, processing time, validity

Price-wise, it costs GBP10 (~RM57) to apply for UK ETA which can be done through the UK ETA Android and iOS app as well as website. If you are travelling as a family or in a group, every single person in your group has to apply for their ETA including babies and children.

According to the guidelines provided by the UK government, the result of your UK ETA application will be provided within 3 working days although in certain cases, it may take longer. You will receive the result through the e-mail address that you provided with your application.

Once you receive it, the ETA will last for 2 years. You can then travel to the UK as many times as you like within the said period although the UK government insists that having an ETA does not guarantee entry into the country.