Travelers arriving directly from abroad in the Channel Islands should not be required to apply for an ETA before the end of 2025.
To visit the Channel Islands, Crown Dependencies, international tourists will not need an ETA until the end of 2025. This was recently confirmed by the Guernsey government, offering respite to travelers wishing to explore the islands of Jersey and Guernsey without the need for a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation.
Last week, the UK government unveiled the roll-out schedule for its ETA system, similar to the ESTA used by the USA.
The UK will soon require travelers from visa-exempt countries to obtain authorization prior to travel. This system aims to simplify entry procedures while guaranteeing greater security.
From April 2, 2025, European tourists and business travelers will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation to travel to the UK without a visa.
For these travelers, the ETA application can be submitted on the GOV.UK portal, or from the “UK ETA” mobile app available for iOS and Android, from March 5, 2025 and will cost £10, or around a dozen euros, for an authorization valid for two years allowing multiple trips across the Channel.
ETA for the Channel Islands: not required “until towards the end of 2025”
Although the Channel Islands are not formally part of the United Kingdom, they have a close relationship with it, particularly in terms of immigration and border control. Consequently, the implementation of ETA by the UK has implications for these islands.
In its announcement concerning the introduction of the ETA system, the Guernsey government explains that “travellers looking to come directly to the Channel Islands from abroad are not anticipated to be required to apply for an ETA until towards the end of 2025”.
According to the Guernsey authorities, non-British nationals looking to come directly to the Channel Islands (ie, on a ferry from St Malo) will not be required to apply for an ETA until much later in 2025.
On the other hand, says the Guernsey government, non-British nationals who travel to the Channel Islands via the UK (ie, a flight to Gatwick from overseas, connecting on to Guernsey) will have to apply for an ETA, as they will be entering the UK first.
ETA and National Identity card, what impact on French travelers visiting the Channel Islands in 2025?
Last month, the authorities of the Bailiwicks of Jersey and Guernsey announced the extension until the end of September 2025 of the program allowing French citizens to enter without a passport, but with a National Identity card, for a day trip.
According to the Guernsey government’s official communication, the ETA roll-out timetable means that the current program allowing French nationals to travel to Guernsey using a National Identity card under the approved program with Manche Iles Express and Condor Ferries “will be unaffected, however will likely end after that date”.
Despite this Electronic Travel Authorisation requirement coming into force next April, French day-trippers will still be able to visit the Channel Islands without a passport or ETA, but with their National Identity card until the end of September 2025.
Guernsey and Jersey continue to work closely with the UK to ensure that the transition to the new travel authorization system is smooth, minimizing disruption for travelers.
“The Committee for Home Affairs, alongside counterparts in Jersey, has worked closely with colleagues at the Home Office in the UK as they have worked to implement ETAs. Work continues to agree an exact date for the implementation across the Crown Dependencies, if the States of Guernsey approve the Bailiwick’s involvement,” explains the Guernsey government.
“The ETA scheme will strengthen border security”
Rob Prow MP, President of the Committee for Home Affairs, says: “The Committee and its officers have been working closely with representatives of the Home Office and the Justice Department for some years now on the implementation of the Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme. Much like the ESTA scheme the United States has, it will require travellers looking to holiday in the United Kingdom to apply for permission before travelling, using their passport. If the States formally agree the Bailiwick’s involvement later this year, that scheme will be extended to include the Bailiwick of Guernsey alongside the other Crown Dependencies at the end of 2025.”
“The ETA scheme will strengthen border security with checks undertaken prior to travel and will prevent those who may pose a risk from even boarding. This, in turn, will strengthen our position as a member of the Common Travel Area, a membership which is vital to the Bailiwick and which we must take the obligations of seriously,” says Rob Prow.
The MP points out that “the introduction of ETAs will most probably end the scheme allowing French day-trippers to travel to Guernsey without a passport. While beneficial to the tourism industry, this scheme was always an interim measure ahead of the UK rolling out ETAs and would not align with our CTA obligations after that point. Fortunately, the dates allowed us to extend the scheme through next summer, ending in September 2025.”
