On 5 March, the Minister for Migration and Citizenship Shabana Mahmood MP confirmed in Ministerial correspondence to Lord Alton of Liverpool, Patron of Hong Kong Watch, that British National (Overseas) (BNO) passport holders will soon no longer need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to travel to the UK.
The Home Office has committed to amending the Immigration Rules to this effect at the earliest opportunity.
Under the current rules, [introduced](https://www.hongkongwatch.org/all-posts/2025/1/8/bno-advisory-new-eta-regulations-between-uk-and-hong-kong-begin-today) on 8 January 2025, BNO passport holders who do not also hold British citizenship or a valid BNO visa have needed to apply for an ETA ahead of travel to Britain.
Based on consultation with civil society organisations, including Hong Kong Watch, the Home Office decided to change the rules to ensure that no BNO passport holder requires an ETA prior to travel to the UK. This decision was made on the basis of the UK’s historical commitment to BNO Hong Kongers and the fact that, as holders of UK-issued passports, BNO passport holders should be treated similarly to British citizens with passports.
You can read the full letter from the Home Office to Lord Alton [here](/s/Image-1-3.jpg).
Thomas Benson, Research and Policy Advisor for Hong Kong Watch, commented:
“We have received many calls from BNO Hong Kongers concerned about the security and data privacy implications of the current ETA policy. We are glad to see the Home Office listening to these concerns and honouring the UK government’s commitment to British National (Overseas) passport holders, and look forward to this change being imminently implemented.”