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The Minister of State for the UK Home Office, David Hanson, has confirmed that French school groups of children under the age of 18 will be temporarily exempted from the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) requirement.
In an official statement answering Lord German’s question about the country’s plans for this group of travellers, Minister Hanson said that French school groups would be permitted to visit the UK under the current facilitated rules until a group solution is developed, Schengen.News reports.
According to Minister Hanson, the decision to temporarily exempt French school groups from the ETA requirement has been taken after taking into account the implications of the scheme.
This means that the authorities are working to establish a plan that will continue to permit facilitated entry into the country for this group of travellers.
Minister Hanson further noted that this decision will allow the EU, EEA, and Swiss children to continue using their identity cards when going on organised French school trips to the UK.
Under the scheme introduced in December 2023, French pupils under the age of 18 are able to go on school trips to the UK with only their IDs and their non-EU classmates are permitted to take trips without having to obtain a visa.
All EU Citizens Will Have to Apply for UK’s ETA From April 2025
All citizens of the EU who do not need a visa or do not have permission to work, live, or study in the country will be required to have an ETA in order to be permitted entry into the UK.
As the UK Home Office has explained, EU citizens will be eligible to apply for an ETA from March 5, 2025, and starting April 2, 2025, they will need the document to travel to the UK.
When applying for the ETA, citizens of the EU will have to pay a €11 fee. The fee will apply to everyone, including children and babies.
By introducing the ETA for citizens of countries who do not need a visa for entry to the UK, the latter’s authorities want to ensure more robust security checks. The measure is also aimed at helping to prevent the abuse of the UK’s immigration system.
Source: https://schengen.news/french-school-groups-temporarily-exempted-from-uks-eta-requirement-minister-confirms/
