British officials have created the UK eTA visa waiver for citizens eligible for the program, which includes French travelers.

This permit will allow French citizens to obtain electronic authorization to enter the United Kingdom without visiting UK immigration offices in France.

UK eTA is granted to those French citizens who wish to enter the country for various reasons such as tourism, business, medical treatment, and studies.

How to Get a UK eTA as a French Citizen

French citizens can obtain a UK visa waiver by starting a simple and fast UK eTA online application form. This takes about 15 minutes on average to complete.

These are some of the basic information that will be requested during the application process:

Identification questions:

  • First and last name
  • Gender
  • Date and place of birth
  • Current address, phone number and email address
  • Religion
  • Marital status

Travel information:

  • Passport number
  • Passport expiration date
  • Passport issue date
  • Scanned copy of passport biographical page

The above information must match that on the French citizen’s passport.

Other questions may be included, particularly those regarding the traveler’s criminal history from France or other questions that invite reporting any serious medical conditions that may harm other passengers or UK citizens.

The next step is to pay the UK eTA processing fee, which can be done by French visitors with a credit card, debit card, or PayPal account with sufficient funds to cover the associated costs.

A confirmation message will then be displayed to indicate that French citizens must wait until the application is processed.

Processing times for UK eTA requested from France

On average, applicants from France will have to wait a maximum of 72 hours for their UK eTA to be approved.

Some applications may take longer than usual to be approved, for example if the application contains errors or inaccuracies. French applicants are therefore invited to review the data provided in detail before submitting a request.

Once the application has been processed and approved, it will be sent to the French applicant’s email address.

Conditions for entering the UK from France with an eTA

There are some entry requirements for UK eTA that must be met by French travelers. The following are the prerequisites that allow obtaining the visa waiver:

  • A valid French passport, which must be biometric and valid for at least 6 months from the planned date of entry into the UK
  • A clear scanned copy of the passport biographical page
  • A passport-type photograph of the French applicant. The image must have a white background, while the traveler must be centered, with a neutral facial expression and no accessories
  • An active email address where all communications and eTA status will be notified
  • Evidence of travel and accommodation (contact details of a hotel or relatives where you will stay and round-trip ticket or onward travel out of the country)

Visitors from France are not required to provide any additional medical record information.

If the UK eTA application is for a child under 18 years of age, it must be completed by a parent or legal guardian.

Entering the UK from France: travel tips

French visitors wishing to enter the UK must bring both their passport and approved visa waiver.

Once they arrive at any UK port of entry, visitors are assured of smooth and fast entry, avoiding immigration queues and undergoing a quick document check by border authorities.

UK entry points for French citizens

The UK has several entry ports that provide access to French citizens, covering from airports to seaports.

The busiest airports are London Heathrow Airport, Gatwick Airport, and Manchester Airport. As for the busiest seaports, the Port of Dover, Portsmouth Port, and Holyhead Port can be highlighted.

British Visas available for France

There are cases where to meet their travel purposes, French citizens will need a visa instead of a visa waiver. In these cases, several UK visa options are provided:

Note that the UK eTA can also be used for the reasons mentioned above. However, passengers from France must comply with the restrictions of this visa waiver (maximum stay of 3 months, for example).

Note: The requirements for a UK visa are different from those of a visa waiver, so French visitors must inform themselves about the specifics of each travel permit.