Visitors to the UK will soon have to answer US-style security questions to get into the country in a major border reform.
The UK is to introduce its Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme for inbound visitors from certain countries in October.
The scheme will then be extended worldwide next year, with applicants able to sign-up on their mobiles.
Visitors from Qatar will be the first to be subject to the new regime, followed by Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Jordan from February.
The Home Office said the scheme “will strengthen security at the border and improve travel for visitors to the UK”.
As part of the application process, individuals will need to provide biometric details and answer a set of “suitability questions”.
While the Home Office has not answered what those questions are likely to be, they may be similar to the rigorous questionnaire which visitors to the US must answer.
It includes probing questions about whether "you suffer from a contagious or transmissible illness or psychiatric problems", "if you use narcotics", and "if you have been arrested or convicted and if so for what type of crime".
Travellers to the US are also asked if they "intend to engage in immoral activities whilst in the United States" and "if you have been implicated in spying activities, genocide, or terrorism, or if you were implicated with the German Nazi allies of the Second World War."
The scheme’s introduction comes after the European Union laid out plans for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) for UK visitors following Brexit.
Its introduction has been pushed back a number of times, but it is likely to be introduced in 2024, costing €7 (£6.20).
The US also requires a similar Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for all UK visitors costing $21 (£17.50).
The Home Office said: “The cost of an ETA will be in line with similar international schemes, and individuals can make multiple visits to the UK over a two-year validity period.
“The scheme will also further strengthen our border, by ensuring robust security checks are conducted on every visitor pre-travel.”
Immigration minister Robert Jenrick said: “Strengthening our border remains one of the government’s top priorities.
“ETAs will enhance our border security by increasing our knowledge about those seeking to come to the UK and preventing the arrival of those who pose a threat.
“It will also improve travel for legitimate visitors, with those visiting from Gulf Cooperation Council states being among the first to benefit.”
The current Electronic Visa Waiver Scheme which requires visitors to the UK from Gulf states to pay a higher cost for a single-use visit will be replaced by the new ETA system.
The Home Office said: “Visitors from Europe, and other nations such as America and Australia do not currently need to make any form of application to visit to the UK, however this will be changing with the introduction of ETAs.”
British and Irish nationals will not need an ETA to travel to the UK.
