Officials from the UK and Ireland are in talks about possible modifications to the new ETA system. ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) is a permit that non-Irish and non-British citizens will need to enter the UK.
Currently, non-Irish citizens living legally in Ireland need ETAs to visit Northern Ireland. The agenda of the discussion is to exempt this group.
Irish nationals won’t need an ETA, thanks to the Common Travel Area, a migration agreement that has been pending for a long between the UK and Ireland.
However, ETA is required for a legal Irish resident (say a Polish person) to cross into Northern Ireland, even if visiting for a quick shopping trip.
The UK immigration minister wrote a letter to the Northern Ireland Affairs Committee MPs. The letter stated that the government intended to “ensure the realities of daily cross-border travel are addressed in the ETA scheme.”
There have been in-depth discussions regarding “if there is space for a workable UK-Ireland data-sharing mechanism to determine whether a person is a legitimate resident of Ireland and could, thus, potentially be exempt from the ETA,” added Robert Jenrick.
In addition, Northern Ireland’s tourism sector has also been asking for ETA exclusions. The government’s concern lies around the impact on foreign visitors who land in Dublin and then intend to visit Northern Ireland.
Speaking to BBC News NI in January, the Chief Executive of Tourism Ireland mentioned concerns about the removal of Northern Ireland by tour operators from their itineraries to avoid any potential ETA-related issues.
“The best outcome is that it doesn’t apply to Northern Ireland but at a minimum, you want some kind of waiver allowable for a certain number of days,” as per Niall Gibbons.
The government’s preferred strategy, according to the letter from Mr Jenrick, appears to be a public information campaign instead of a waiver.
He further adds that to address any misunderstandings over the final requirements agreed-upon for entering Northern Ireland, a clear communications strategy will be essential. This will comprise making sure that visitors from outside the European Union travelling to Ireland through the Republic of Ireland know how ETA requirements impact if they plan to cross the border.