Electronic Travel Authorisation (United Kingdom)

The United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is an advance travel permission required from foreign nationals who intend to visit the United Kingdom without a visa.^[1]

The system, as part of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, operates using an online application whose information is checked against security databases. If the system does not find adverse information about the applicant, the travel authorisation is granted automatically, otherwise the application is forwarded to an officer to decide whether to grant the authorisation. The system is expected to provide a response within three working days.^[1]

A UK ETA is valid for multiple entries for two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever is sooner.^[2] It may be used for temporary stays for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, study, certain types of work, or landside transit. Having an ETA does not guarantee entry into the UK.^[3]

History

On 9 March 2023, the UK government announced plans for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, to replace the Electronic Visa Waiver scheme that was available for nationals of GCC countries, and later require the ETA from other foreign nationals travelling to the UK without a visa.^[4]

On 6 June 2023, it was announced that the ETA would cost £10 per applicant.^[5] On 9 April 2025 the price increased to £16.^[6]

ETA applications opened for nationals of Qatar on 25 October 2023 for travel from 15 November 2023, and for nationals of other GCC countries and Jordan on 1 February 2024 for travel from 22 February 2024.^[1] Jordanians were removed from the ETA program on 10 September 2024 due to "abuse and violations of the system".^[7]

For visa-free nationalities, ETA applications opened for nationals of non-European countries on 27 November 2024 for travel from 8 January 2025, and for nationals of European countries on 5 March 2025 for travel from 2 April 2025.^[8]

Initially, it was intended that all visa-exempt travellers were required to have an ETA regardless of whether they were transiting airside and not passing through passport control. The UK Home Office decided to temporarily drop the requirement to hold an ETA if transiting airside, due to feedback from the tourism and airline industry.^[9] The exemption will be continuously monitored.^[6]

Required nationalities

A UK ETA is required from nationals of the following countries travelling to the UK without a visa:^[3][10]

European Union member states (except Ireland) European Free Trade Association member states
Andorra Antigua and Barbuda Argentina Australia Bahamas Bahrain Barbados Belize Botswana Brazil Brunei Canada Chile Costa Rica Grenada	Guatemala Guyana Hong Kong Israel Japan Kiribati Kuwait Macau Malaysia Maldives Marshall Islands Mauritius Mexico Micronesia	Monaco Nauru New Zealand Nicaragua Oman Palau Panama Papua New Guinea Paraguay Peru Qatar Saint Kitts and Nevis Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines	Samoa San Marino Saudi Arabia Seychelles Singapore Solomon Islands South Korea Taiwan[a] Tonga Tuvalu United States United Arab Emirates Uruguay Vatican City

Exemptions

The following classes of individuals do not need an ETA:^[1][3]

• British citizens (dual citizens require a valid British passport or a certificate of entitlement)
• British Overseas Territories citizens
• British Nationals (Overseas)
• British Overseas citizens^[11]
• British protected persons^[12]
• British subjects and Commonwealth citizens with right of abode in the United Kingdom^[13]
• Irish citizens (except those subject to a UK deportation order, exclusion order decision, or an international travel ban)
• Residents of Ireland travelling to the UK from other parts of the Common Travel Area (Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man)
• Holders of an entry clearance or permission to enter or stay in the UK, such as a UK visa, residence permit, pre-settled or settled status
• People who are exempt from immigration control in the UK, such as diplomats, military, airline and ship crew^[14]
• Children travelling on a France-UK school trip (special form to be completed) ^[15]
• People who are eligible for an ETA and are transiting airside through the UK (temporarily)

Application

Applications for an ETA are made preferably through mobile phones using the UK ETA app, available from the App Store and Google Play. Applications can also be made online at a UK government website. Each traveller, including children and babies, must have an individual ETA.^[3]

Applicants for an ETA must:^[3][16][17]

• Upload or take a photo of their original passport
• Scan their passport, if it contains an electronic chip and their mobile device can read it
• Scan their face, except for children age 9 or younger
• Upload or take a photo of themselves
• Answer questions about their address, job, criminal history, and other nationalities, if any
• If under age 18, provide contact information of someone with parental responsibility for the applicant
• Pay a fee of £16 with a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay
• Have access to email

The applicant's information is checked against security databases. If the system does not find adverse information about the applicant, the travel authorisation is granted automatically, otherwise the application is forwarded to an officer to decide whether to grant the authorisation.^[1] The decision is sent to the applicant by email, usually within three working days.^[16]

If approved, the ETA is digitally linked to the applicant's passport, so the applicant does not need to show anything else when entering the UK.^[16] The ETA is valid for multiple entries for two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever is sooner.^[2] The ETA may be used for temporary stays for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, study, certain types of work, or transit.^[3]

Enforcement

Carriers to the UK are expected to check that individuals have the appropriate permission to travel, in document or digital form, before they bring them to the UK. Otherwise, they may be liable to a penalty charge.^[18]

Individuals arriving in the UK without a UK ETA, if not exempted, may be refused entry. However, having an ETA does not guarantee entry into the UK.^[3]

It is a criminal offence to obtain a UK ETA by deception.^[18]

See also

• Visa policy of the United Kingdom
• Australian Electronic Travel Authority (ETA)
• Canadian Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA)
• European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)
• Israeli Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA-IL)
• New Zealand Electronic Travel Authority (NZeTA)
• Saint Kitts and Nevis Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA)
• South Korean Electronic Travel Authorization (K-ETA)
• United States Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA)

Notes

1. Only holders of passports with a national identification number.