United Kingdom ETA
Everything you need to apply for your United Kingdom ETA: the requirements, the documents, and the steps from start to approval.
Official United Kingdom government portalOverview
The Electronic Travel Authorisation, or ETA, is the United Kingdom's online permission to travel for visitors who do not need a visa for short stays. It is not a visa: it is a digital authorisation, linked electronically to your passport, that lets you board a carrier and request entry to the UK before you travel. An approved ETA is valid for two years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and allows multiple entries.
Each visit can last up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business meetings, short study or transit. The ETA does not cover paid work, long-term study or stays longer than six months, which need the corresponding UK visa applied for separately. Visa-exempt nationals are covered, including most citizens of the European Union, the United States, Canada, Australia and Japan, and each traveller needs their own ETA, including children and infants.
Because the authorisation is tied to one passport, you must travel on the same passport you applied with; if you renew it, you apply again. If your nationality is not in the visa-exempt list, or you plan to live, work or study long-term in the UK, you will need a visa instead. Your UK ETA is prepared in your own language and every answer is checked before it is submitted to the Home Office.
Requirements in detail
A UK ETA asks for less than a visa, but gather these before you begin so every detail matches your passport. You need a passport from an ETA-eligible nationality, valid for your trip, and you should have its number and its issue and expiry dates in front of you, because the authorisation is linked to the passport electronically rather than stamped in it. The ETA does need a clear, recent photograph of your face on a plain background, with no hat and no sunglasses; a phone photo in good light is usually enough, and this is the single item travellers most often overlook.
Have your travel dates and a UK address, such as a hotel booking, ready, along with honest answers to the eligibility questions about your travel history and any criminal record. A working email address receives the decision, and a payment card covers the single all-inclusive price, with the UK government fee itemised on your receipt. Every traveller, including each child and infant, needs their own ETA.
What you'll need
Have these ready before you begin your application. Requirements can vary by nationality and trip purpose.
- Passport from a UK ETA-eligible nationality
- Recent digital passport photo on a plain background
- Travel dates and accommodation address in the UK
- Email address for ETA delivery
- Payment method (one all-inclusive price)
How to apply
Applying for a UK ETA is done entirely online. First, confirm you need one: it is required for visa-exempt visitors, including most EU, US, Australian, Canadian and Japanese citizens, and each traveller needs their own. Second, have your passport, your photograph and your UK trip details ready.
Third, complete the form, checking the spelling of your name and every digit of your passport number against the passport itself, and answer the eligibility questions honestly. Fourth, review the single all-inclusive price and pay; the application is checked for completeness before it reaches the Home Office. Finally, the approved ETA arrives by email and is linked to your passport electronically, so there is nothing to print, though many travellers keep a copy.
The Home Office also runs an official UK ETA app that reads the passport chip; a guided service is an alternative filing route, the same model we support for Australia.
On arrival
Your approved UK ETA is held electronically against your passport, so there is nothing to print and no document to carry; the airline and UK Border Force see it automatically when your passport is scanned. Travel on the exact passport you applied with, since the authorisation is tied to that document and will not be found on any other. An ETA lets you board and request entry, but it is not a guarantee of admission: a Border Force officer at the port of entry makes the final decision and may ask about the purpose and length of your visit.
Have your return or onward ticket, your UK accommodation address and proof of funds ready to show if asked. Saving your approval email or application reference is sensible in case you want to check the status before you fly.
Government processing time
What the issuing authority typically takes once the application is submitted.
Government processing: the UK Home Office decides most ETAs within 72 hours, and many come back the same day, though a small share can take longer if a case needs extra checks. VisitPass review runs first: Standard within 1 to 3 business days, Rush within 1 business day, Super Rush in under 6 hours. The form is confirmed complete, submitted to the authority, and the confirmation issued.
When to apply: start at least a few days before you travel so there is room for the government decision, and apply well ahead for any non-refundable bookings rather than at the airport.
At a glance
- Validity
- 2 years
- Maximum stay
- 6 months per entry
- Entry type
- Multiple
Who can apply
Required for visa-exempt nationals, including most EU, US, Australian, Canadian and Japanese citizens. Children and infants need their own ETA. The authorisation is valid for two years or until passport expiry, with multiple entries up to six months each.
Is this the official application?
VisitPass is an independent travel-document service, not a government website and not affiliated with the UK Home Office. Your application is submitted to the official UK ETA system, and the UK government fee is paid in full to the Home Office and itemised on your receipt; the service fee covers preparing the application, reviewing it for completeness before submission, and email support. The Home Office runs an official UK ETA app, and you may apply through it yourself at any time; a guided service simply completes the same application in your own language and checks it before it is sent.
Whether the ETA is granted is decided solely by the UK government.
United Kingdom help desk
Have questions about your ETA? Email the United Kingdom desk and we reply within 24 hours.
uk@visitpass-online.com