12 October 2026 Planning a trip

Can Gulf travellers use UK eGates with an ETA?

No. An ETA gives Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Kuwaiti, Bahraini and Omani travellers permission to travel, but eGates also require a listed nationality or Registered Traveller membership, and no Gulf passport qualifies for either.

The short answer

No, not on a Gulf passport. The eGate rule on GOV.UK has two halves. You need valid immigration status, such as an ETA. You also need to be a listed nationality or a member of the Registered Traveller Service.

An ETA meets the first half. No GCC nationality meets the second. A Saudi, Emirati, Qatari, Kuwaiti, Bahraini or Omani passport holder arriving on an ETA goes to a staffed desk, where a Border Force officer checks the passport and decides on entry.

Who can use eGates

GOV.UK says you can normally use eGates if your passport has the biometric symbol on the cover, you are aged 8 or over (8 to 17 must be with an adult) and you are at least 120cm tall. You must then be one of these:

ID cards cannot be used. GOV.UK says there are over 290 eGates at 15 air and rail ports, and its news stories also mention eGates at juxtaposed ports, where UK border checks take place in Europe before you travel. The eligibility list has no separate rule for juxtaposed controls, so a Gulf passport does not qualify there either.

GOV.UK says eligible travellers can "normally" use eGates. Even then, a passenger can be directed to a Border Force officer.

What an ETA does and does not do

All six GCC nationalities can apply for an ETA. It costs £20, lasts two years or until the passport expires, and covers visits of up to six months. It is linked to the passport you applied with, so you only show that passport when you travel.

An ETA is permission to travel. It does not guarantee entry, and it does not put your nationality on the eGate list. A UK eVisa does not either: the Registered Traveller route also requires an eligible passport.

Children: the 8+ rule

The change was announced on 14 May 2026 and took effect on 8 July 2026. Children aged 8 and over who are at least 120cm (3ft 11in) tall and travelling with an adult can now use eGates. It added 8 and 9-year-olds.

It only helps children whose passports qualify. For a Gulf family nothing changes: everyone uses the staffed desk, and GOV.UK asks families to stay together there. Children under 8 or under 120cm cannot use eGates on any passport.

Contactless eGates

On 6 October 2026 GOV.UK published details of contactless eGates. For now they are limited to British citizens entering on a British passport, at a small number of gates at East Midlands Airport. Passengers must still carry a valid passport, and all immigration and security checks continue as normal.

Other eGate-eligible nationalities come later, with no fixed date. The GOV.UK guide says this is expected by early 2027; the news story says every eGate should be upgraded by early 2027. Only nationalities already eligible for eGates are in scope, so this gives Gulf passports nothing.

The factsheet adds: "We are exploring options to expand eGate use for the majority of passenger arrivals." That is intent. No decision has been made, and eligibility is unchanged.

Registered Traveller is not open to Gulf passports

Registered Travellers can use the UK passport lanes at some airports and train stations, and the ePassport gates if their passport has a chip. To join you must be 18 or over and have an eligible passport. You must also either hold an eligible UK visa (if you need a visa to visit) or have visited the UK at least 4 times in the last 24 months (if you do not).

No GCC passport is on the eligible list. The only Middle East passport on it is Israel. The passport condition always applies, so a Gulf national cannot join even with a UK visa or frequent visits. Do not spend the £70 application fee on a Gulf passport.

What to have ready at the staffed desk

Bring a passport that is valid for your whole stay. Your ETA is linked to it, so there is nothing else to show for the ETA.

You must still meet the Standard Visitor requirements. You must be able to show that you will leave at the end of your visit, can support yourself and any dependants during the trip (or have funding from someone else), can pay for your return or onward journey (or have someone else pay for it), and will not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits or make the UK your main home. GOV.UK says you may be asked questions at the UK border about your eligibility and the activities you plan to do.

GOV.UK does not list proof of accommodation for adult visitors. The extra rules are for under-18s: a parent or guardian must consent to the child's travel and accommodation arrangements, and a child who does not need a visa must prove this at the border.

An adult travelling with a child they may not appear to be the parent of should carry evidence of the relationship: a birth or adoption certificate, a marriage or divorce certificate, or a letter from the parent.

Border Force may ask you to wait while it carries out extra checks on border security, entry requirements or safeguarding. GOV.UK says it will not always be able to explain in detail why.

Checklist before you fly

• An ETA for every traveller, children included, linked to the passport each will travel on.
• Passports valid for the whole stay.
• Proof that a parent or guardian consents to the travel and accommodation arrangements of any visa-free under-18, and relationship documents where an adult may not appear to be a child's parent.
• Answers ready on why you are visiting, how the trip is paid for and when you leave.
• At the desk: passport out of its cover and open at the photo page; hats, headphones and sunglasses off; phones away; family together.
• Dual national? Travel on the eligible passport if you want the eGates. British or Irish dual citizens travel on their British or Irish passport, because they cannot get an ETA.

Checked against the official sources below on 12 October 2026.

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