Passengers sailing with Carnival Cruise Line from its homeports in Dover, England; Barcelona, Spain; and Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy, are being advised to prepare for new electronic visa requirements in the UK and EU, which come with hefty fees.
In a video and Facebook post, the cruise lineโs Brand Ambassador John Heald shared the new requirements are now detailed onย Carnival Cruise Lineโs website.
The new UK ETA Visa, required by all guests, including children, will cost ยฃ10, while the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) travel authorization required in 30 European countries, will cost โฌ7.
If traveling between the UK and the EU, passengers will need both visas, costing nearly $20 per person.
โAll travelers (as of January 8, 2025) who do not hold a passport to the United Kingdom or Ireland must obtain an electronic visa, known as the UK Travel Authorization, to enter the UK by air or sea,โ Heald shared.
Although, at this time, ETIAS is not yet accepting applications. It is expected to be operational six months following the EUโs new automated Entry/Exits System (EES) is launched.
ETIAS will be required in Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland.
However, one ETIAS application is good for entry into all 30 countries for up to 180 days. In the UK, visas donโt expire for 2 years, unless the passport associated with it expires earlier.
Heald said,ย โOur Chief Communications Officer Chris [Chiames] and his brilliant team will be sending notices to people closer to the cruise.โ
Although officially launching on January 8, 2025, the UK began accepting ETA applications for non-European nationals on November 27, 2024, to allow disembarkation in UK ports.
Cruise Boards: New ETA UK Visa
The program was initially prepared to collect applications from European nationals beginning on March 5, 2025. However, that date has been moved up to coincide with non-European passengers without a UK or Ireland passport. Both visas can take up to 3 days to obtain.
Carnivalโs European Itineraries
Heald specifically called out Dover, Barcelona, and Rome cruise departures as Carnival Cruise Line will have two ships operating in Europe and the UK in 2025, along with several liners beginning journeys from the region after dry dock in Cadiz, Spain.
Carnival Miracle will arrive in its homeport of Dover on Englandโs southern coast on May 18, where it will sail 9- and 12-night voyages around the British Isles and Northern Europe until August.
The ship will then reposition to Italy on August 25, 2025, where it will begin offering roundtrip itineraries from Civitavecchia to Greece and Turkey with calls in Naples.
Carnival Legend will also sail from Dover beginning June 7 and enjoy 9- and 12-night journeys to Northern Europe and the Baltic before repositioning to Civitavecchia on September 11.
Carnival Cruise Line has several ships that will leave the Mediterranean from Barcelona on transatlantic voyages in 2025, includingย Carnival Spirit, which will undergo dry dock from January 30 through March 15.ย
The vessel will return to the US via Barcelona on March 16.
Carnival Valor, conducting her dry dock on May 10 through June 10, will begin a return to the US with a June 11 cruise from Barcelona, while Mardi Gras, undergoing dry dock from September 28 through October 15, will make hers on October 16.