UK eTA: The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation

For international travellers to the UK


For tourism, business, education


Fully Online Application Process

What is the eTA UK?

The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (eTA) is an entry permit to British territory that can be obtained online. This will allow travellers from eligible countries to visit the Great Britain without having to obtain a visa in advance.

In general, to visit the United Kingdom you need to have a visa or a visa exemption. However, today a large number of travellers, citizens of countries eligible for the UK eTA, can prepare for their visit by obtaining an electronic travel authorisation for the UK online.

With eTA, millions of travellers will no longer need to visit an embassy or consulate before arriving in UK. This allows prospective tourists to apply for permission to visit England in a simplified way. The eTA is a system designed to facilitate tourists’ entry to the country while maintaining and even improving national security.

Who is eligible for the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation?

Austria

Andorra

Belgium

Bulgaria

Czech Republic

Cyprus

Croatia

Denmark

Estonia

Finland

France

Germany

Greece

Ireland

Iceland

Italy

Latvia

Liechtenstein

Lithuania

Luxembourg

Malta

Norway

Netherlands

Poland

Portugal

Portugal

Romania

Slovakia

Slovenia

Spain

Sweden

Switzerland

Hungary

Your TRIP TO THE UK STARTS HERE

All those who have the UK eTA requirements will be able to apply online before travel for authorisation to enter the United Kingdom. This will allow visitors to travel for tourism, for family matters, for business, health matters, short educational coureses, etc.

When is the travel authorization needed?

The travel authorisation is mandatory for all international tourists, exempt from travelling with visa and on one of the following reasons:

  • Business
  • Tourism
  • Friends and family

In addition to the above common reasons, eTA holders can visit the UK for the following purposes:

  • Medical treatment
  • Short period of study

Working for money and staying for a longer period for education requires applying for a Traditional visas for England (those affixed to the passport) with a UK consular office.

Notice to uktravelpros.com users

Uktravelpros.com is not connected to any UK government agency or website. Our goal is to provide an easy-to-use service for people seeking additional information on electronic travel authorisation and for those who wish to apply for travel permission online – the UK eTA.

Service fee

The service fee on our website is $64 USD and includes the UK government fee of £10 GBP. Our users should know that they can apply directly through the UK government website – www.gov.uk.

To apply, the traveller must provide:
  • A valid biometric passport from an eligible country
  • A selfie taken recently
  • Information on their occupation
  • A valid email address
  • A phone number
  • Information on previous criminal charges if any
  • Travellers below the age of 18 must add their legal guardian/parent data: email, phone#, names

How far in advance do you need to apply?

Obtaining an electronic travel authorisation online is a simple and fast process. It takes only a few minutes to complete an online application. This can be done at any time up to a few days before departure for the United Kingdom.

Before submitting an eTA application form, it is strongly recommended to carefully check all the information provided. Any errors could lead to delays in processing the eTA form or even refusal of the eTA itself (also known as UK eVisa).

Once all the necessary information has been provided and forwarded to the competent UK authorities, your application is normally processed and a response is usually provided within 48-72 hours. After the eTA Travel Authorisation has been approved, it allows the holder a single entry to the country. The visitor can then spend 180 days (6 months) in the United Kingdom and visit any part or territory of the country.

Travel stress-free to the United Kingdom with eTA – Electronic Travel Authorisation

Once the eTA has been approved, it will be valid for travel (boarding your plane, embarking on your ferry, or other) to Great Britain starting from the date specified during the application process. Upon arrival, travellers will only need a biometric passport and a digital or paper copy of the approved UK eTA.

Once arrived at destination, the visitor must present their passport to a UK Border Force agent (England’s Immigration Agency). The designated officer will then check the document information and compare it with that in their system. Once the existence of an approved eTA with the data of the presented passport has been verified, the officer will let the traveller enter the country.

What is Great Britain’s immigration implementing?

As part of the transformation of the border and immigration system, they are introducing a universal “travel permission” requirement, which will require all those wishing to travel to the United Kingdom (except British and Irish citizens) to request permission before travel.

Currently, some citizens of specific countries are not required to have a visa for short stays or any other specific immigration status before traveling to the United Kingdom.

This means that British border control authorities have less information and time to assess whether a given visitor’s arrival might present a risk before their arrival in the United Kingdom.

Through the Nationality and Borders Bill, to fill the current gap in advance authorisations, an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) scheme has been introduced for those passengers who visit or transit through the United Kingdom and who currently do not need a visa for short-term stays, or who do not already have immigration status before travel.

The UK eta scheme will give the United Kingdom greater border control, allowing them to block entry to potential threats, while providing visitors and carriers with greater assurance about their ability to travel to the United Kingdom. Similar systems are used by the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand to keep their countries safe.

How was this change designed?

The new law lays the foundation for establishing and implementing an ETA scheme, allowing the government to establish new immigration rules and administer an ETA scheme, which includes, but is not limited to:

  • details on who must submit such an application;
  • the content of the application;
  • the validity of an ETA;
  • and reasons for refusing and/or canceling an ETA.

Additionally, the bill will make it an offense to use deception or falsehood to obtain, or attempt to obtain, an ETA.

REMEMBER: All travellers must ensure they are authorised to travel to the UK before arriving in the United Kingdom.

FAQs

Yes, it is the government’s intention that EEA citizens will be required to obtain an ETA before traveling to the United Kingdom.

  • £16 per application plus processing fee, effective from 9 April 2025; previously it was £10 plus processing fee until that date.
  • The fee is non-refundable, even if the application is denied.
  • Payment methods accepted include credit/debit cards.
  • First introduced in autumn 2023 for Gulf nationals.
  • 9 March 2023 marks the formal announcement, with implementation beginning in late 2023.
  • Full rollout completed by 2 April 2025, when ETA became mandatory for all visa-exempt visitors (other than UK/Irish citizens.

The application form is available online only and it takes up to 72 hours to approve the requested travel authorization. To Successfully apply a candidate needs:

  • A valid passport (the one you will travel with)
  • An email address for communications
  • A payment method: credit/debit card.
  • Digital passport and face photos: either live capture via app or uploaded as images

To be fully effective, travelers’ authorisations must be verified by their carrier and confirmed before travel.

Carriers will have to confirm that the passenger has appropriate authorisation to travel, in documentary or digital form, before they board travel to the United Kingdom.

Otherwise, operators could be subject to a penalty.

The Home Office will use Advance Passenger Information (API) to confirm whether an individual may have permission to travel to the United Kingdom and will return an electronic message to the carrier with the response to the request.