Britain mandates new travel authorisation for diplomatic and special passport holders

TDT | Manama                                                     

The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com

The British government has made a decision requiring all citizens holding diplomatic and special passports to obtain the new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to travel to the UK or transit through it. Diplomatic sources in London have disclosed this to our sister newspaper, Al Ayam.

This ruling will be effective on February 22, 2024, with the requirement starting on February 1, 2024.

The officials from the embassies of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries convened a meeting with officials in the Home Office of the UK, where they were informed about the decision.

The legal department of the Home Office had conducted a study on the memorandum of understanding related to exempting holders of diplomatic and special passports from the necessity of obtaining a visa to enter Britain.

The legal and policy teams of the Home Office have clarified that the ETA is not a “visa,” indicating that the previous memorandum of understanding was for exemption from “visas.” Therefore, this decision will be applied to all citizens of the GCC countries.

Two-year period

As a result of this decision, citizens holding diplomatic and special (and regular) passports from the GCC countries and Jordan will need to obtain a valid travel authorization for two years to enter or transit through Britain.

The initial waiting time for obtaining the travel authorization for the first trip will be three days.

The British Foreign Ministry is expected to officially notify the Embassy of the Kingdom of Bahrain and other GCC states’ embassies in Britain of this decision through official channels soon.