Digital visa scheme to be introduced in Guernsey

Visitors to Guernsey from outside the UK or Ireland will need an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) from 23 April, the States has confirmed.

Anyone who is not a British or Irish citizen and does not need to visa to enter the bailiwick will need to pay £16 for an ETA, which is linked to the traveller's passport.

The authorisation would last two years or until the holder's passport expired, whichever was sooner, officials said.

The States said the requirement would not impact a scheme that allowed French day trippers to visit the island using a national ID card rather than a passport.

ETAs were first introduced by the UK government in 2023 and extended to more countries over a two-and-a-half-year period.

Travel journalist Simon Calder previously told the BBC that the ETA scheme could cost the Channel Islands "millions".

It is the job of the airline or boat company to check if travellers have a valid ETA to enter into the Common Travel Area, which is made up of the UK, Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man, before passengers board.

ETAs are issued by the UK government and can be applied for online, or on the UK ETA app.

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