UK ETA: Who Needs One, the Cost and How to Apply

The UK ETA, or electronic travel authorisation, is a digital permission to travel. If you visit the UK on a passport that needs no UK visa, such as a US, Canadian, Australian or French one, you need an ETA before you set off. Airlines have refused boarding without one since 25 February 2026. This page covers who needs one, who is exempt, the £20 fee, how to apply and what to do after a rejection.

Who needs a UK ETA

You need an ETA if you visit the UK and your nationality does not need a UK visa. When enforcement began, the Home Office counted 85 such nationalities, the United States, Canada and France among them. GOV.UK has a checker for yours. Each traveler needs their own ETA, babies included.

Your situation	UK ETA?	What covers you
Visitor from an ETA country, such as the US, Canada or France	Yes	An ETA linked to your passport
Changing planes and passing UK border control (landside)	Yes	An ETA
Changing planes without passing UK border control (airside)	No, for now	A temporary exemption
British or Irish citizen, dual citizens included	No, and you cannot get one	A British or Irish passport, or for British citizens a certificate of entitlement
UK visa holder, or permission to live, work or study in the UK	No	Your visa or status
ETA national living in Ireland, arriving from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man	No	An original Irish-government document, such as an Irish Residence Permit, if 16 or over
National of a country that needs a UK visa	No	A UK visa

Dual British or Irish citizens

Dual citizens cannot get an ETA. If you are an Irish dual citizen, you travel on a valid Irish passport. If you are a British dual citizen, you travel on a valid British passport, or on your other passport with a certificate of entitlement to the right of abode. Since 26 February 2026 the certificate has been issued digitally, and it no longer expires with the passport. Carriers may accept some expired British passports issued in 1989 or later, at their discretion.

Changing planes at a UK airport

If you change planes airside, without passing UK border control, you need no ETA as of October 2026. The Home Office factsheet names Heathrow and Manchester for this, and Home Office guidance calls the exemption temporary. A connection through passport control needs an ETA, and your airline can tell you which applies.

What a UK ETA covers, and when you need a visa instead

An ETA is permission to travel, not a visa and not a guarantee of entry. If you have flown to the US on an ESTA, the ETA works much the same way: a short online application, linked to your passport and valid for 2 years unless the passport expires first.

The ETA covers the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man only. It does nothing for a trip on to France or Spain, where the EU’s own ETIAS travel authorization was not operating as of October 2026.

Each stay can last up to 6 months for tourism, family visits, business trips or short-term study, and an ETA also covers a permitted paid engagement or landside transit. It does not cover paid or unpaid work, claiming benefits or living in the UK through frequent visits. Marrying there needs a Marriage Visitor visa.

UK ETA cost and key dates

An ETA costs £20 per person as of October 2026. It rose from £16 on 8 April 2026, and the Home Office keeps the fee under review. Nothing is refunded after you apply, so a rejected application followed by a new one costs £20 twice.

Date	What changed
15 November 2023	ETA starts for Qatar nationals
22 February 2024	Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and UAE added (Jordan moved to the visa list on 10 September 2024)
8 January 2025	US, Canadian, Australian and all other non-visa nationals except Europeans
2 April 2025	European nationals added
25 February 2026	Enforcement: no ETA or other valid permission means no boarding
8 April 2026	Fee rises from £16 to £20

How to apply for a UK ETA

Apply on GOV.UK or in the UK ETA app. You can use the app for someone else only while they are with you. For anyone elsewhere, use the online form with photos of their passport and face.

Apply for a UK ETA in 7 steps

1. Check on GOV.UK that your nationality and trip call for an ETA rather than a visa.
2. Download the UK ETA app from Google Play or the App Store, or open the online form.
3. Scan or photograph the passport you will travel with.
4. Take a photo of your face that meets the GOV.UK digital photo rules, as a failing photo can delay the application or get it rejected.
5. Enter your contact and passport details and answer the suitability and criminality questions.
6. Pay £20 by credit or debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
7. Wait for the email with your 16-digit ETA reference number before you travel.

How long a UK ETA takes and how long it lasts

Most app applicants get an automatic decision within minutes, according to the Home Office. GOV.UK says the email usually comes within a day, at most 3 working days, and you should not travel until it arrives. An ETA lasts 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner, and covers any number of trips. A new passport means a new application.

This is an invented sample, not a real family. Marc and Sophie Tremblay fly from Montreal to London with their children, aged 9 and 2, on 18 December 2026.

When	What happens
Monday 2 November	Marc applies in the app for himself and the children, who are with him, and on GOV.UK for Sophie, who is away for work
Payment	4 ETAs at £20 each: £80, not refundable
Same afternoon	3 decisions arrive by email, each with its own 16-digit reference
Wednesday 4 November	Sophie’s decision arrives, 2 working days later
Validity	The parents’ passports run to 2031, so their ETAs last to November 2028; the 9-year-old’s passport expires on 14 March 2027, and his ETA ends with it

What to do if your UK ETA is rejected or refused

A submitted application cannot be changed or withdrawn, so a wrong detail means applying again. A rejection, for example over a photo or passport that fails the identity check, comes with the reason, and you can reapply. A refusal cannot be appealed or reviewed, so your route becomes a visa. GOV.UK suggests a Standard Visitor visa from the start if you have a criminal record or a previous UK refusal of entry.

Traveling with your UK ETA

Among the documents you take on a UK trip, the ETA is the one you do not need to show. You present your passport, and carriers confirm the ETA through automated checks against Home Office records before you board. It only lets you make the journey: permission to enter is still given or refused on arrival. Check your ETA on GOV.UK shows whether you hold one and when it expires.