An ETA is now a legal requirement for entry to the UK.
Travellers from abroad who don’t require a visa to enter the UK must now have an ETA. But who exactly does this apply to, how much does it cost and what does ETA even stand for?!
Read on to find out what an ETA is, who needs it and how to get one.
Coming up in this guide
What’s an ETA?
An ETA stands for Electronic Travel Authorisation.
It’s not a visa but it is a (virtual) document that some travellers now need to enter the UK. It’s a bit like the ESTA that you need to have before you can enter the US, if you’ve ever visited there before.
Who needs an ETA?
You need an ETA to enter the UK if you
- Are from a country identified as needing an ETA and you are travelling to the UK for any type of trip, including a holiday. These include the US, Canada, Australia and most European countries (see below for the full list).
- If you’re travelling to the UK but not staying, for example if you’re catching a connecting flight.
- Are of any age – children and babies must have an ETA.
Travellers from the following countries need an ETA to enter the UK
Europe: Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, San Marino, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Vatican City.
Rest of the world: Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, Australia, The Bahamas, Bahrain, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Costa Rica, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British national overseas), Israel, Japan, Kiribati, Kuwait, Macao Special Administrative Region, Malaysia, Maldives, Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Mexico, Federated States of Micronesia, Nauru, New Zealand, Oman, Nicaragua, Palau, Panama, Papua New Guinea, Paraguay, Peru, Qatar, Samoa, Saudi Arabia, Seychelles, Singapore, Solomon Islands, South Korea, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Taiwan (if you have a passport issued by Taiwan that includes in it the number of the identification card issued by the competent authority in Taiwan), Tonga, Tuvalu, United Arab Emirates, United States, Uruguay.
Who doesn’t need an ETA?
You don’t need an ETA to enter the UK if you
- Are a British or Irish citizen
- Have permission to live, work or study in the UK
- Have a visa
- Are travelling with a British overseas territories citizen passport
- Live in Ireland and you are travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
However, it’s good to know this information if you have any friends or family members living in other countries who’ll need an ETA to visit you.
How do I get an ETA?
The easiest way to get a UK ETA is to download the app – you can get it from the App Store or Google Play. Or you can visit the official gov.uk website to apply.
Don’t use other third-party websites as they aren’t authorised to process your ETA – they may even charge you more as well.
- Give your passport details
- Give your contact details
- Provide a valid photo
- Answer a set of questions
- Pay a fee
How long does it take to get an ETA?
According to gov.uk, the process should take up to three working days. There are a lot of anecdotal reports that it takes a matter of minutes, but the official prediction is three working days. Of course, the best thing you can do is apply for an ETA as soon as you know you’re going to need it.
Gov.uk says the quickest way to get a decision is by using their app, but if you don’t have the app you can apply online.
It also says that you must apply for an ETA before you travel to the UK, although you can travel to the UK while you’re waiting for a decision.
If the ETA application is refused, you’ll need to apply for a visa instead.
How much is an ETA?
An ETA costs £16, which you can pay with a debit or credit card or Apple Pay/ Google Pay during the application process.
How long does an ETA last?
An ETA lasts for two years, after which you’ll need to apply for a new one. Unless you get a new passport during that time, then you’ll need a new ETA because it’s linked to your specific passport.
Our experience of applying for an ETA
Okay, so nobody on the Holiday Expert team would currently need to apply for an ETA to get into the UK since we’re all British citizens. However one of our lovely followers has been through this process, and has kindly shared his insights.
I used the app to submit my application and it took around 5 minutes – and the bulk of that time was getting up off the couch to take a photo with a blank background behind me!
It was straightforward to fill in, though the one thing that didn’t work for me was where it told me that if I had a passport with a chip, I could scan my passport with my phone. It didn’t work but fortunately, it gave me the option to skip though it, did say it might need to ask me some additional questions. However, it didn’t seem to need to do this and moved on.
Once I’d submitted, I got an email 3 minutes later saying it had been accepted and that I now have a visa that’s valid for the next 2 years!
Thanks for the insight, Matt!
What documentation do UK citizens need to travel to Europe?
A new automated system called EES came in in October 2025, which registers travellers from non-EU countries – including the UK – each time they cross a border into or out of the EU. You can find out more about it in our guide below.
After the EES is introduced, there will be a visa-waiver programme which means that UK travellers visiting the EU for a short period of time, like a holiday, won’t need a visa. You’ll be able to apply for your ETIAS online, we have a guide about that too, which you can find below.
