Do you need a UK ETA?
Checked against GOV.UK. This page last updated .
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Probably yes, if you are visiting and you are not British or Irish.
An ETA is the UK’s electronic travel authorisation. It is not a visa: it is a permission to travel that most visa-exempt visitors now have to hold before they board. It costs £20, it is attached to one specific passport, and every traveller needs their own — including babies.
Which website is the official one?
There is one official route, and it costs £20. The UK ETA app, or the apply page on GOV.UK. Nothing else is faster, and no intermediary has a shortcut: the decision is made by the Home Office either way. Sites that appear above or beside the official one in search results and charge you more are adding a margin, not a service — some of them advertise heavily on exactly these searches. If a page is asking for more than £20, or is not on a gov.uk address, close it.
The rules, in full
- Who needs one
- Most visitors who do not need a visa: nationals of European countries, the United States, Canada, Australia and a long list of others. It covers the United Kingdom, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.
- Who does not
- British and Irish citizens, including dual citizens travelling on that passport. Anyone who already has permission to live, work or study in the UK. And, in some cases, legal residents of Ireland travelling within the Common Travel Area who can show that residence.
- What it costs
- £20 per person, paid once per authorisation. There is no family rate and no reduced rate for children.
- How long it lasts
- Two years, or until the passport it is attached to expires — whichever comes first.
- What it allows
- As many journeys as you like while it is valid, for stays of up to six months at a time. It is not a work permit and it is not a residence permit.
- How to apply
- Through the official UK ETA app, or online on GOV.UK. You need the passport you will actually travel with, a photo, contact details and a card to pay the £20.
- How long a decision takes
- You will usually get a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to three working days, so apply at least three working days before you travel. Wait for the confirmation before you go to the airport.
- Connecting flights
- You need one if you pass through UK border control before continuing. If you connect airside without going through UK immigration, you do not. GOV.UK suggests checking with your airline if you are not sure.
The one that catches people out
A new passport ends the ETA. The authorisation is attached to the passport number you applied with, so renewing that passport ends it even if it had a year left. This catches families most often, because a child’s passport is issued for fewer years than an adult’s and is usually the first to be renewed — see the ETA for children and babies.
Before you apply
- Apply with the passport you will travel with
- The authorisation is tied to that passport number. A different passport at the gate means no valid ETA.
- One application per traveller
- There is no family application. Four people means four applications, four photos and four payments of £20.
- Leave three working days
- Most decisions arrive within a day, but some take up to three working days. Applying the night before is a gamble you do not need to take.
- Check it is still valid before each trip
- Two years passes quietly, and a renewed passport ends it early. Check before you book, not at the airport.
- Europe is a different question entirely
- An ETA is for the UK only. If the same trip also takes you into the Schengen area, that is the EES now and ETIAS later — see which one applies to you.
Questions people ask
How much does a UK ETA cost?
£20 per person. There is no family price and no reduced rate for children or babies. Any site charging more than that is a third party adding its own fee.
How long is a UK ETA valid for?
Two years, or until the passport it is linked to expires, whichever happens first.
How long does a UK ETA take to be approved?
You will usually get a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to three working days, so apply at least three working days before you travel.
What is the official UK ETA website?
GOV.UK, and the official UK ETA app. The application page is gov.uk/eta. Anything that is not on a gov.uk address is not the official route.
Is an ETA a visa?
No. It is a travel authorisation for people who do not need a visa. It does not guarantee entry either — the border officer still decides when you arrive.
Do I need an ETA if I am only transiting through the UK?
Yes, if you pass through UK border control before your onward flight. No, if you connect airside without going through UK immigration.
Do British or Irish citizens need one?
No, including dual citizens travelling on a British or Irish passport.
I renewed my passport. Is my ETA still valid?
No. The ETA is attached to the passport you applied with, so a renewed passport means applying again.
Do children and babies need their own ETA?
Yes, from birth, at the same £20. There is no minimum age and no family application — see our page on the ETA for children and babies.
Does an ETA let me work in the UK?
No. It covers visits, including tourism, seeing family and some business activity. Working in the UK needs a different permission.
The rules keep moving. We’ll tell you when they do.
The fee, the exemptions and the dates have all changed in the last two years, and nobody tells travellers. We’ll email you when something changes that you may need to act on — no newsletter, no marketing.
We’re building it with real travellers. Your experience could help us create something genuinely useful.
Change log
- Corrected the connecting flights section: we had wrongly said that connecting at Heathrow and Manchester always means passing through border control. Whether you need an ETA depends on whether you pass through UK border control, not on the airport.
- Corrected how long a decision takes to match GOV.UK: usually within a day, up to three working days. We had said most decisions came back in minutes. No change to the fee or validity.
- Page published.
Sources
Checked on .
- GOV.UK — Apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA)
- GOV.UK — Apply for an ETA
- Home Office — Electronic Travel Authorisation factsheet, April 2026
About this page
VIARYO is not a government body and this page is not an official source. We read what GOV.UK publishes, summarise it, and record the date we last checked — you can read how we check our information. Where GOV.UK and this page disagree, GOV.UK is right: apply and confirm at the official ETA page.
Travelling with children? Every child needs their own, babies included — see the ETA for children and babies. Going on to Europe as well? That is a different system.