The United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is an advance travel permission required from foreign nationals who intend to visit the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

without a

visa Visa most commonly refers to: * Travel visa, a document that allows entry to a foreign country * Visa Inc., a US multinational financial and payment cards company ** Visa Debit card issued by the above company ** Visa Electron, a debit card ** Vi ...

. The system, as part of the

Nationality and Borders Act 2022 The Nationality and Borders Act 2022 (c. 36) is an act of the Parliament of the United Kingdom proposed in July 2021 relating to immigration, asylum and the UK's modern slavery response. The Act also deals with British overseas territories citi ...

, 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. A UK ETA is valid for multiple entries for two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever is sooner. 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.

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. On 6 June 2023, it was announced that the ETA would cost £10 per applicant. On 9 April 2025 the price increased to £16. ETA applications opened for nationals of

Qatar Qatar, officially the State of Qatar, is a country in West Asia. It occupies the Geography of Qatar, Qatar Peninsula on the northeastern coast of the Arabian Peninsula in the Middle East; it shares Qatar–Saudi Arabia border, its sole land b ...

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. Jordanian passports were removed from the ETA program on 10 September 2024 due to "abuse and violations of the system". The Home Office announced that visa-free nationalities outside Europe will be able to apply for UK ETA starting 27 November 2024 and be able to use it to travel to the UK from 8 January 2025. European visa-free nationalities may apply for it from 5 March 2025 and may use it to travel to the UK from 2 April 2025. 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. The exemption will be continuously monitored.

Required nationalities

A UK ETA is required from nationals of the following countries travelling to the UK without a visa:

Exemptions

The following classes of individuals do not need an ETA: *

British citizen The primary law governing nationality in the United Kingdom is the British Nationality Act 1981, which came into force on 1 January 1983. Regulations apply to the British Islands, which include the UK itself (England, Wales, Scotland, and Nor ...

s (dual citizens require a valid British passport or a certificate of entitlement) *

British Overseas Territories citizen A British Overseas Territories citizen (BOTC), formerly called British Dependent Territories citizen (BDTC), is a member of a class of British nationality granted to people connected with one or more of the populated British Overseas Territor ...

s *

British Nationals (Overseas) British National (Overseas), abbreviated as BN(O), is a class of British nationality associated with the former colony of Hong Kong. The status was acquired through voluntary registration by individuals with a connection to the territory wh ...

* British Overseas citizens *

British protected person A British protected person (BPP) is a member of a class of British nationality associated with former protectorates, protected states, and territorial mandates and trusts under British control. Individuals with this nationality are British ...

s * citizens (except those subject to a UK deportation order, exclusion order decision, or an international travel ban) *Residents of

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travelling to the UK from other parts of the

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(Ireland,

Guernsey Guernsey ( ; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; ) is the second-largest island in the Channel Islands, located west of the Cotentin Peninsula, Normandy. It is the largest island in the Bailiwick of Guernsey, which includes five other inhabited isl ...

Jersey Jersey ( ; ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey, is an autonomous and self-governing island territory of the British Islands. Although as a British Crown Dependency it is not a sovereign state, it has its own distinguishing civil and gov ...

, and the

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) *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 *Children travelling on a France-UK school trip (''special form to be completed'') *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

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and

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. Applications can also be made online at a UK government website. Each traveller, including children and babies, must have an individual ETA. Applicants for an ETA must: *Upload or take a photo of their original

passport A passport is an official travel document issued by a government that certifies a person's identity and nationality for international travel. A passport allows its bearer to enter and temporarily reside in a foreign country, access local aid ...

*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 A debit card, also known as a check card or bank card, is a payment card that can be used in place of cash to make purchases. The card usually consists of the bank's name, a card number, the cardholder's name, and an expiration date, on either ...

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, or

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*Have access to

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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. The decision is sent to the applicant by email, usually within three working days. 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. The ETA is valid for multiple entries for two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever is sooner. The ETA may be used for temporary stays for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, study, certain types of work, or transit.

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. 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. It is a criminal offence to obtain a UK ETA by deception.

References

Notes

External links

Official website
{{Electronic travel authorizations for visa-exempt visitors Visa policy of the United Kingdom International travel documents