UK ETA now required for Jersey and Guernsey but special French exemption remains
The requirement also applies to the Isle of Man and came into force on April 23
Non-UK visitors to the Channel Islands will now need an ETA in most cases. Archive photo shows Mont-Orgueil in Jersey
Vadim_N/Shutterstock
The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme has been extended to cover the Channel Islands and Isle of Man, although certain visitors from France remain exempt from the requirements.
As of yesterday (April 23) visitors to Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man – three UK Crown Dependencies – arriving from a third-nation such as France need to obtain an ETA on the same basis as if they were heading elsewhere in the UK.
Applications have been open since April 9.
This means everyone without a UK or Irish passport or prior authorisation to live/visit the UK (via a residency card, visa, or certificate of entitlement) will need to apply for an ETA before travelling to the islands.
This must be applied for in advance, either through the official smartphone app or online, and costs £20.
More information can be found in our article here.
The ETA for the Channel Islands works in the same way as for the UK – indeed it is a single application tied to a person’s passport, and once you have an ETA it works in all areas.
This means those who already applied for an ETA to visit the UK do not need to reapply for visiting the Crown Dependencies (unless their original ETA has expired). Equally, once a person has an ETA for their visit to the Dependencies, it can be used for visiting elsewhere in the UK.
Note that since February 26, 2026, an ETA has been required for those travelling to the islands from the UK, if they were required by the changing UK rules to have an ETA.
People arriving directly from the UK to the islands do not need to bring their passport with them, but only photo ID – the islands accept whatever ID the airline or ferry company do.
Day-trippers exempt from rules
An exception remains however: French citizens visiting the island for a day-trip – arriving and leaving on the same calendar date – remain exempt.
They continue to benefit from current exemptions, which also include only requiring their French ID (and not a French passport) to visit the islands.
If planning to stay overnight however, their visit falls under general ETA requirements and they will need to obtain prior authorisation using the system.
The exemptions are in place to help the Channel Islands benefit from French tourists, family visits etc.
Under 18s visiting on a school trip do not require an ETA even if staying for longer than a day although certain conditions must still be met.
Tourism authorities for the islands have recently stated their aims to boost French visitor numbers following a drop in recent years.
More information about rules for visiting the islands can be found on the Jersey government website here (it also applies for visits to Guernsey).
