The Home Office has announced introduction of visa requirement on Republic of Nauru effective Dec 9, 2025, 15:00 GMT by cancelling Electronic Travel Authorisation on visa free countries.
Nationals of Nauru will also be required to obtain a direct airside transit visa if they intend to transit via the UK having booked travel to another country.
Nationals of Nauru will no longer be eligible to apply for an electronic travel authorisation for travel to the UK. There will be a six-week, visa-free transition period for those who already hold an ETA and have a confirmed booking to the UK obtained on or before 15:00 GMT on 9 December 2025, where arrival in the UK is no later than 15:00 GMT on 20 January 2026.
The Home office released a statement said the action comes in response to the country’s decision to introduce a new citizenship by investment programme. The decision to introduce a visa requirement has been taken solely for national and border security reasons.
The Home cited CBI program posed direct threat to national and border security being vulnerable to misused for these reasons:
- CBI is high-risk and allows individuals access to a new identity
- Applicants have minimal ties to the issuing jurisdiction.
- significant risks to UK border and national security
- unsustainable risk of exploitation by criminal actors and
- individuals seeking to circumvent UK immigration controls without genuine intent to comply with UK law.
- Weak vetting and due diligence processes.
Careful consideration of Nauru’s programme has highlighted significant risks to UK border and national security.
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“Its design is particularly vulnerable to misuse and, in its current form, poses an unsustainable risk of exploitation by criminal actors or individuals seeking to circumvent UK immigration controls without genuine intent to comply with UK law. “
Due to the programme set-up, we also lack confidence in the legitimacy of any vetting and due diligence processes.
This model cannot operate without rapidly escalating the level of risk to the UK border. The Government therefore consider it necessary to take action through this rules change.
The UK government has reaffirmed that this decision does not change the importance of our relationship with Nauru, a Commonwealth partner and subjected to period review.
