UK announces visa changes for Qatari, other GCC citizens

The United Kingdom’s home office announced visa changes for Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) and Jordanian citizens, making it easier for them to travel to the UK.

Qatari nationals will be the first to benefit from the new system implementation, as it will be applied to them in October 2023. The rest of the GCC countries and Jordan will benefit from it in February 2024.

Under the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorization scheme (ETA), both Gulf citizens and Jordanians will pay only $12.44 (£10) to apply for an ETA which would grant them two-year multiple entry visa.

GCC and Jordanian citizens, according to the UK’s Home Office, will be among the first nations to benefit from this scheme, which would make the requirements for their visit to the UK similar to those of the US and Australia.

GCC residents currently pay over $30 to visit the UK, while for Jordanians it is over $120.