UK: Lawmakers call for ETA exemption for some tourists

Could the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirement for entering the United Kingdom be relaxed for some tourists visiting Northern Ireland?

In a statement published on October 22, 2026, the UK House of Commons Northern Ireland Affairs Committee called on the government to exempt customers of approved tour operators from the ETA requirement.

The recommendation is included in a letter to the UK government outlining proposals to support Northern Ireland’s tourism and hospitality industries.

Lawmakers argue that the additional costs and administrative requirements imposed on international visitors may discourage tour operators from including Northern Ireland in their itineraries.

UK ETA requirement could be hurting organized tours in Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland occupies a unique position: it is part of the United Kingdom but shares an open land border with the Republic of Ireland, which is a member of the European Union.

This arrangement allows tourists arriving in Dublin, for example, to easily visit Belfast or the Giant’s Causeway as part of an organized tour.

However, travelers who are required to obtain a UK ETA must have one to enter Northern Ireland, even when crossing the land border from the Republic of Ireland for a short day trip.

According to tourism industry representatives, the requirement, which currently costs £20 per person, adds both an extra expense and an administrative hurdle.

In its letter, the parliamentary committee draws on evidence from the Inbound Tourism Operators Association (ITOA) Ireland, an organization representing inbound tour operators.

According to a survey conducted by the association:

• 65% of respondents said the ETA requirement had affected their business to some extent.
• An additional 10% reported that the requirement had significantly affected their operations.

The association warns that passport and ETA requirements may lead some tour operators to remove Northern Ireland from their itineraries altogether.

Lawmakers believe these difficulties could have consequences for hotels, restaurants, tourist attractions, and other businesses that rely on international visitors.

ETA exemption proposed for customers of approved tour operators

In response, the parliamentary committee is recommending that customers of approved tour operators be exempt from the requirement to apply for a UK ETA.

The goal is to make it easier to organize tours that include stops in Northern Ireland without requiring affected travelers to complete the additional application process.

However, lawmakers also want safeguards to prevent the exemption from being misused.

Under the proposal, the UK Home Office could revoke an operator’s approved status if it used the exemption to circumvent British immigration controls.

The precise terms of any future exemption, including the criteria for approving tour operators and the conditions travelers would need to meet, have yet to be determined.

For now, this remains a parliamentary recommendation, not a change in UK immigration policy. The government has not announced any decision to amend the ETA requirements.

The committee has requested a detailed government response within two months.

What are the current ETA rules for visiting Northern Ireland?

Since April 2, 2025, European nationals who can travel to the UK without a visa have generally been required to obtain an ETA, unless they qualify for an exemption.

As VisasNews reported when the transition period ended on February 25, 2026, the requirement also applies to travel to Northern Ireland.

The absence of routine immigration checks along the land border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland does not exempt travelers from complying with UK entry requirements.

Some exemptions already exist, however. These include British and Irish citizens, as well as foreign nationals who are legally resident in the Republic of Ireland, do not require a UK visa, and are traveling from within the Common Travel Area (CTA).

The UK government provides details of these exemptions on its official ETA website.

For other travelers subject to the requirement, including American, Canadian, Australian, and European tourists who do not qualify for an exemption, an ETA remains mandatory for entry into Northern Ireland, even when traveling as part of an organized tour.

Applications can be submitted through the official UK government portal, with a fee of £20 per person.

VisasNews Take

The proposal from UK lawmakers highlights a particular challenge for tourism on the island of Ireland: although there are no routine immigration checks at the land border, UK entry requirements still apply to visitors traveling to Northern Ireland.

The proposed exemption would not eliminate the ETA requirement altogether. Instead, it would create a targeted exception for customers of certain tour operators. Whether it moves forward will depend on a decision by the UK government. Until then, travelers must continue to comply with the entry requirements currently in effect.