Britain provides E-visas for citizens of the Gulf countries and Jordan for only £10

Gulf Today, Staff Reporter

The British government has announced the availability of E-visas for citizens of the Gulf Cooperation Council countries and Jordan, at a cost of only £10.

Rosie Diaz, spokeswoman for the British government in the Middle East and North Africa, confirmed that reducing visa costs and requirements will enable visitors to travel to Britain at a lower cost and more easily.

Nationals from the GCC states and Jordan will soon only be required to pay £10 to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), which will allow them to visit the UK multiple times over a two-year period, compared to Gulf nationals currently paying £30 per visit to the UK under the current Electronic Visa Wavier (EVW) scheme and Jordanians forking out £100 for a visit visa.

"I am happy that our partners in the Gulf states and Jordan will be the first to benefit from this permit," she said.

“I look forward to welcoming visitors from the region to Britain, and the additional opportunities to build cultural, commercial and political ties between our countries.”

Rosie confirmed that the new British programme is a reference to the strong partnership between Britain and the countries of the Middle East and North Africa.

Immigration Minister Robert Jenrick said, “Visitors from the Gulf states and Jordan make a huge contribution to the UK’s tourism industry and the new ETA scheme will make it easier and cheaper for them to travel to the UK.

“The cost of an ETA will be one of the best in the world compared to similar international schemes. This small additional cost to visitors will enable us to bolster the security of the UK border and keep our communities safe.”

Gulf visitors are highly valuable to the UK economy, with over 790,000 Gulf visitors spending £2 billion during their stays in the UK last year.