Britain planning to make life more difficult for overseas visitors

 

It never ceases to amaze how so many countries spend millions of dollars on enticing visitors to their shores - and then come up with ideas to make life more difficult for their guests.

Thailand recently unveiled plans to charge visitors a "welcome" fee on arrival, and now Britain is planning a new Permission to Travel scheme, which will requiring any visitors to seek advance authorisation before entering the country. 

And they will be expected to pay for privilege of filling out a form online. 

Travel Daily reports that the proposals include a new UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, scheduled to roll out later this year, with all travellers required to hold digital approval to travel to the UK. 

The UK Government - and to be honest it would be hard to find a bigger collection of nitwits anywhere on the planet - says the move is in line with the approach taken by other countries including the USA (ESTA), Canada (ETA), Australia (eTA) and New Zealand (NZeTA). 

Apparently, "customers" - not visitors or guests - applying for a UK ETA will provide their biographic, biometric and contact details, and answer a short set of suitability questions. 

The majority of visitors will be expected to receive their authority within a short time of submitting their application. 

If things go well - and how often is that the case in the UK? - the online form should take under 15 minutes to complete, and most customers will receive their ETA within 48-72 hours of submitting their application. Emergencies? Not catered for, apparently.  

The UK Government said: “This will increase our knowledge about who’s seeking to come to the UK and prevent the arrival of those who present a threat.”

It won't, of course, anyone presenting a serious threat would be smart enough to find a way to enter the UK without crossing a border. 

Britain is surrounded by water and sea arrivals in small ports are ludicrously easy. 

“Instead of turning people away at our border or detaining them at a cost to the taxpayer, this approach will allow us to stop people travelling to the UK in the first place,” a briefing paper said. 

Sorry while we snigger. 

The cost of a UK ETA has not yet been revealed, but it has been stated that applicants will need an email address and a credit or debit card to apply. Tough luck if you don't have one.