UK visa requirements for Romanian citizens (September 2026)
I went through the Home Office's Electronic Travel Authorisation guidance, the UK's EU Settlement Scheme rules, and what actually changed when free movement ended, because the visa requirements for Romanian citizens sit at an odd intersection right now. Romanians still don't need a visa for an ordinary UK visit, and that hasn't changed since Brexit. What has changed is that free movement itself is gone, a new digital check is mandatory before you fly, and a huge number of Romanians already living in the UK are governed by rules that don't apply to a new visitor at all.
The quick answer
Romanian citizens don't need a visa to visit the UK for tourism, business, family visits, or short-term study, for stays of up to 6 months. Since Brexit, Romania has been treated the same as any other non-visa nationality for this purpose, not given special EU treatment, but also not made to apply for a visa.
What is required now is an approved Electronic Travel Authorisation, an ETA, before you travel. Applications for EU nationals opened on 5 March 2025, the requirement took effect for travel from 2 April 2025, and enforcement became strict from 25 February 2026, meaning carriers now refuse boarding to anyone without one. The current fee is £20 per person, including infants, and one ETA covers multiple trips over 2 years or until your passport expires.
If you already hold settled or pre-settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme, none of this applies to you in the same way, and that's covered in its own section below, since a lot of Romanians in the UK fall into that category rather than the ordinary visitor one.
What people actually mean by these terms
UK entry content aimed at Romanian citizens mixes up a few terms that mean genuinely different things, especially now that EU free movement is history rather than current policy.
Non-visa national
Someone who doesn't need a visa to visit the UK for short stays. Romania has held this status since Brexit, and the ETA hasn't changed it.
ETA
Electronic Travel Authorisation. Not a visa, a mandatory pre-travel digital check, required even though you're still visa-free for visits.
EU Settlement Scheme status
Settled or pre-settled status held by Romanians who were living in the UK before free movement ended. A different, ongoing immigration status, not a visit.
Skilled Worker and Student visas
The standard routes now available to Romanians for work and study, the same system used by any other non-EU nationality since Brexit.
The mix-up people actually make: assuming EU free movement rules still apply in some reduced form, so that a Romanian passport carries special weight at the UK border the way it used to. It doesn't. Romania is treated exactly like any other non-visa nationality for a short visit, no better and no worse, and anyone wanting to work or live in the UK now goes through the same routes as any other non-EU applicant.
Entry requirements at a glance
| Requirement | Status | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Visa for tourism, family visits, short business | Not required | Romania is a non-visa national for stays up to 6 months |
| Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) | Required now | £20 per person, apply before you travel, strictly enforced since 25 Feb 2026 |
| ETA if you hold settled or pre-settled status | Not required | Existing UK immigration status already covers your entry |
| Skilled employment | Visa required | Skilled Worker visa, needs a licensed UK sponsor |
| Study beyond short-term, or stays over 6 months | Visa required | Student visa or other appropriate long-term route |
If you already have settled or pre-settled status
This is genuinely important given how many Romanians it applies to. Romanians were the second-largest group of EU nationals to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme before the Brexit deadline, and hundreds of thousands hold settled or pre-settled status as a result. If that's you, the ETA requirement simply doesn't apply. Your existing UK immigration status already confirms your right to enter, and applying for an ETA on top of it isn't necessary and isn't what the system is designed for.
Where this causes genuine confusion is among people who aren't sure which category they fall into, someone who moved to the UK years ago but never formally confirmed their status, for instance. If you're uncertain, check your status directly through the UK government's online service rather than assuming either way, since travelling without an ETA when you needed one, or applying for one you didn't need, both cause avoidable friction at the border.
Don't apply for an ETA if you already hold settled or pre-settled status. It's not required, and it won't do anything your existing status doesn't already cover. If you're not sure what status you hold, check through GOV.UK before you travel, not at the airport.
What actually changed when free movement ended
Free movement between the UK and the EU ended on 1 January 2021. Before that date, Romanian citizens could move to the UK, work, and live there under the same rules as any other EU national, without needing a separate visa or permission. That's gone for anyone who wasn't already covered by it. New arrivals now enter the same system as any other non-EU nationality: a visa-free short visit is still available, exactly like the arrangement for many other countries, but working, studying long-term, or settling in the UK needs a specific visa applied for through the ordinary Immigration Rules.
This is the part that surprises people most, not because it's complicated, but because it's a genuine downgrade from what used to be true. A Romanian passport doesn't open any door here that a passport from a country the UK has never had special ties with wouldn't also open. The ETA requirement is really just the latest layer on top of that already-changed reality, not a new complication on its own.
Visa options beyond a visit
If your reason for travel isn't a visit at all, tourism, business meetings, or seeing family, the ETA isn't the right mechanism, and it doesn't convert into anything longer-term on its own. Skilled work in the UK needs a Skilled Worker visa, tied to a job offer from a UK employer holding a sponsor licence. Longer study needs a Student visa, tied to a confirmed offer and a sponsoring institution. Joining a partner or family member already settled in the UK sits under a separate family visa route with its own income and relationship requirements.
Each of these is a genuinely different application from an ETA, with its own evidence, fees, and processing timeline, applied for in the same way any other non-EU applicant would apply. There's no separate, easier EU track anymore.
Before you fly
- Check whether you already hold settled or pre-settled status before assuming you need an ETA, since existing status makes the ETA unnecessary.
- Apply for your ETA through GOV.UK or the official app only, never through a third-party site charging more than the £20 government fee.
- Apply well before your trip, even though approval is often fast, rather than leaving it until the day of travel.
- Don't assume any special EU treatment applies, since free movement ended and Romania is treated like any other non-visa nationality now.
- Apply for every traveller, including infants, if an ETA is actually needed, since there's no age exemption from the requirement.
FAQ
What are the visa requirements for Romanian citizens visiting the UK?
None, for an ordinary visit. Romania is a non-visa national, so no Standard Visitor visa is needed for tourism, business, family visits, or short-term study up to 6 months. You do need an approved ETA before you travel, unless you already hold settled or pre-settled status.
Do I need an ETA if I have settled or pre-settled status?
No. Your existing UK immigration status already covers your entry, and the ETA requirement doesn't apply to you. Applying for one anyway isn't necessary.
Does free movement still apply to Romanian citizens in any form?
No. Free movement between the UK and the EU ended on 1 January 2021. Anyone who wasn't already covered by settled or pre-settled status is treated the same as any other non-EU visitor or applicant.
How much does a UK ETA actually cost?
£20 per person, which has risen twice since the scheme's introduction, from £10 to £16 and then to £20. Apply directly through GOV.UK or the official app to avoid third-party sites charging more.
Can I work in the UK on an ETA?
No. An ETA covers visit-type activities like tourism and business meetings, not employment. Working in the UK needs a Skilled Worker visa or another appropriate route with a licensed sponsor, the same as it would for any other non-EU nationality.
How long does one ETA last?
Two years, or until the passport you applied with expires, whichever comes first. It allows multiple trips within that window, each up to 6 months.
Final verdict
For most people asking about visa requirements for Romanian citizens, the reassuring part is that an ordinary visit still doesn't need a visa. The part worth getting right is figuring out which category actually applies to you: a new visitor needs an ETA, someone with settled or pre-settled status doesn't need anything extra, and anyone hoping a Romanian passport still carries EU-era advantages for work or long-term stays should plan around the same Immigration Rules that apply to any other non-EU nationality now.
Sources: UK government, Electronic Travel Authorisation guidance · UK government, EU Settlement Scheme guidance. Rules change without much warning, so confirm current requirements before flying.