UK ETA: who needs it and how to apply

Check your entry permission before booking the final journey into the UK. An electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, is relevant to some visitors who do not need a visa. It does not replace a visa where one is required, and it does not guarantee admission at the border.

Start with your passport and purpose

Use the GOV.UK visa checker for your nationality and reason for travelling. A short tourist visit, studying and working can need different permission. Read the result for your circumstances rather than relying on another traveller’s approval.

The UK ETA costs £20 for each applicant who needs one, including a child or baby. Apply through the official GOV.UK link or the UK ETA app linked from it. A commercial website can add its own charge without changing the government decision.

Apply with the passport you will carry

Have the travelling passport, the required photograph, an email address and a payment method ready. Check the passport number and personal details before submitting. The approval is linked electronically to that passport.

Allow up to three working days for a decision and wait for approval before travelling. Do not leave the application until you reach the airport or Eurostar terminal. Keep the confirmation accessible, but carry the actual passport used in the application.

An ETA lasts for two years or until that passport expires, whichever comes first. A new passport means checking the permission again. The authorisation’s validity is not permission to remain in the UK for that whole period; the conditions of each visit still apply.

Do not confuse Ireland’s different exemptions

British and Irish citizens do not need an ETA. Relevant UK immigration permission can also remove the need. British dual citizens should read the official travel-document guidance for proving their citizenship.

There is a separate conditional exemption for eligible people who live in Ireland and arrive from Ireland or the other places named in the rules. It is not an exemption for every visitor who spends a few nights in Dublin. Eligible residents aged 16 and over need accepted evidence of residence, as listed by GOV.UK.

For a Dublin–Belfast trip, check Irish entry permission and UK permission separately. The Common Travel Area does not give every overseas tourist automatic entry to both countries.

Check whether an airport connection crosses the border

An eligible airside connection without passing UK border control can be exempt. Collecting bags, changing airports or taking a connection that requires entering the UK is a different situation. Ask the airport or airline about the actual transfer, then apply the official immigration rules to that route.

Before departure, recheck the GOV.UK requirements using the same passport and itinerary you will travel with. An airline booking confirmation is not an immigration approval.