The United Kingdom’s (UK’s) new Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) jeopardizes its agreement with the French Government regarding school trips.
Beginning 2 April 2025, all European nationals, including schoolchildren from France, must secure an ETA before traveling to the UK.
French and other European visitors can begin applying for an ETA on 5 March 2025.
However, one of the few requirements for an ETA is a passport, which not many European nationals have.
This requirement directly conflicts with the ID-card-only provision established by the original France-UK school trip agreement.
The France-UK School Trip Agreement
In December 2023, an agreement between the two countries introduced new rules to ease travel requirements for French school groups visiting the UK.
Under this deal, French students could travel to Britain using only their national ID cards.
On the other hand, non-EU students enrolled in French schools could participate in these trips without needing a visa.
This arrangement reduced costs and paperwork, spurring a 30 percent increase in French school visits to the UK.
It was a promising recovery after years of Brexit-related declines. Still, the UK’s upcoming ETA threatens to undermine its success.
This has raised concern among French educators and travel organizers who fear the program may be disrupted.
Concerns from educational institutions and French school trip travel organizers
Valérie Boned, President of Les Entreprises du Voyage, a French travel industry group, wrote to UK Home Secretary Yvette Cooper.
According to the Financial Times, Boned’s letter urgently requested clarity on the status of the school trip program and the need for swift action.
“The sooner we manage to clear the situation, the less impact it will have on the number of school trips for 2025,” she wrote.
Her letter underlined the strain the new ETA scheme could place on planning.
It also highlighted the real possibility that French schools might opt to cancel trips due to increased logistical burdens.
French teachers, like Isabelle Regiani, a Jean Jaurès Middle School teacher in Sarreguemines, have expressed frustration.
She explained, “Requiring supervised groups of 15-year-old teenagers to go through the ETA process for a short trip to England is utter nonsense.”
Regina noted that many of her colleagues used to organize day trips to England but are reconsidering because of the paperwork.
“We dearly hope the British government will reconsider the situation,” she added.
Educational and cultural impact of school trips
The France-UK school trip program has been widely praised for its role in fostering cultural and educational exchange.
Since the 2023 agreement, thousands of French students have had the opportunity to experience the UK’s culture.
They were able to visit UK landmarks, attend language classes, and experience British culture firsthand.
Edward Hisbergues, director of PG Trips, a French school trip travel provider, stated that maintaining the program is “essential” to prevent a decline in French school trips to the UK.
A PG Trips survey found that over 75 percent of French teachers would be less likely to organize school trips if the UK ETA complicated travel.
French officials have emphasized the program’s importance as a crucial link in nurturing Franco-British relations among younger generations.
One government spokesperson stated, “We are in close contact with our British counterparts so that it remains fully operational.”
Balancing security and accessibility
The ETA system is part of the UK’s broader initiative to modernize and streamline border control.
With the ETA, all non-visa-required visitors must register their details and travel plans before arriving in the UK.
This will help enhance security as travelers will be pre-screened before they arrive in the country.
The ETA application is designed to be quick, requiring a traveler’s passport, personal information, answering security questions, and a fee.
However, mandatory passports for all travelers, including children, pose a significant challenge for French school groups, which typically use ID cards for travel.
The EU’s upcoming new border check system, the Entry/Exit System (EES), aims to achieve similar security goals.
It will replace manual passport stamping by recording each entry and exit of non-EU nationals through biometric data.
However, the EES launch has been warned to cause lengthy delays in border processing, especially in the initial stages.
This is because fingerprint and facial scan registration is limited at the border, with no provision to do it ahead of time.
These overlapping systems have raised questions about the overall accessibility and appeal of UK trips for European visitors.
A possible compromise?
With only months to go until the ETA’s implementation, French schools and travel organizations await a decision from the UK Home Office.
Participants of the French school trip may receive an exemption from passport and ETA requirements to uphold the trip agreement.
However, an official exemption to the ETA requirement has yet to be confirmed.
Some officials within the UK Government have hinted that it may be possible if France and other EU nations present a unified request.
As discussions continue, teachers remain hopeful that the British Government will reconsider the situation.
The France-UK school trip program’s future hangs in the balance as schools and families await a final decision.