The UK ETA: Who Needs One Before Flying to London, and What It Costs

If you’re flying to London from the United States, Canada, Australia, the EU or most other places that used to mean a visa-free stamp on arrival, that has changed. Nearly every visa-free visitor to the UK now needs an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) — a £20 permit you apply for online before you travel, not something issued at the border. The mistake people make isn’t skipping it; it’s leaving it until the airport, or typing “UK ETA” into a search engine and paying a lookalike site more than GOV.UK charges for the same permit.

💡 The Short Version: If you’re a visa-free visitor, you need a UK ETA before you fly, not on arrival. It costs £20 per person, applied for at gov.uk/eta or the official “UK ETA” app — nowhere else. Most decisions land by email within a day, and GOV.UK’s official window is up to 3 working days. It’s valid for 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and covers unlimited visits of up to 6 months each. Every traveller needs their own, including babies. British and Irish citizens never need one, and if you’re only changing planes without passing through UK border control, you don’t either.

🛂 Landing at a specific London airport? Each has its own guide to the fastest way into town once you’re through the border: Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, London City and Southend.

Who needs one, and who doesn’t

Whether you can apply at all depends on your nationality as shown on your passport. GOV.UK’s current apply-now list runs to more than 80 nationalities. It includes the EU plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Switzerland, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City; the United States, Canada, Australia and New Zealand; Israel; most of the Gulf states (Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE); Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Malaysia, Brunei, the Maldives, Mauritius and the Seychelles; Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Region passport holders, and Taiwan passport holders whose passport carries their Taiwan ID card number; a run of Latin American and Caribbean nations including Argentina, Brazil, Mexico, Chile, Costa Rica, the Bahamas and Barbados; and a number of Pacific island states. If your country isn’t on it, GOV.UK’s advice is blunt: you cannot get an ETA, and you need to check if you need a visa instead. The list can change, so for a definitive answer on your own passport, use GOV.UK’s own checker at gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need an ETA for a holiday or short trip in exactly the same way as US or Australian passport holders do — being European doesn’t exempt you. The one exception inside that group is Irish citizens, who GOV.UK says “can continue to enter and live in the UK without a visa” — no ETA, ever, under any circumstances.

Dual citizens with British or Irish citizenship cannot get an ETA at all. GOV.UK is specific about this: if you hold British or Irish citizenship alongside another passport, you instead travel to the UK using a valid British passport, another valid passport together with a certificate of entitlement proving right of abode, or a valid Irish passport.

If you already have permission to be in the UK, you don’t need an ETA on top of it. That covers a UK visa, an eVisa, settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, and right of abode. You also don’t need one if you’re exempt from immigration control, or if you’re currently waiting for a decision on an EU Settlement Scheme application.

Living in Ireland changes the answer, even if your nationality normally needs an ETA. You’re exempt if you’re entering the UK from Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man. If you’re 16 or older you need to carry proof — an original document issued by the Irish government and valid at the time you travel, such as an Irish driving licence or learner permit, a medical card, a GP visit card, a European Health Insurance Card, an Irish Residence Permit, a Permanent Residence Certificate, a National Age Card or a diplomatic identity card. Under-16s don’t need to prove anything. If your nationality needs a visa rather than an ETA, this exemption doesn’t apply and you still need the visa.

Every child needs their own ETA, including babies. GOV.UK states this plainly: each person travelling needs an ETA, with no family bundling and no under-a-certain-age exemption. You can apply on a child’s behalf — through the app if they’re travelling with you, or online if they’re not.

Cost, and where to actually pay it

It’s £20 per person. Because every traveller including children needs their own, a family of four pays £80, not a single household fee. You pay by credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, whether you apply through the app or the website, and there is no refund once you’ve applied — even if the application is rejected or you need to correct a detail, GOV.UK says you simply apply again and pay again.

GOV.UK’s own overview page warns about this directly: “Other websites may charge more to apply. Avoid websites that imitate government services.” The apply page adds that you cannot get a faster decision by using a different website or app. The only two legitimate places to apply are gov.uk/eta and the official UK ETA app, downloadable from Google Play or the App Store.

How to apply, and how long it takes

You’ll need the passport you’re travelling with, an email address, a payment method, and a photo of the applicant’s face. The two routes differ in how you supply that photo.

The app uses your phone’s camera to scan your passport and your face directly, which is the quicker and more foolproof route. You can also apply for someone else on the app, but only if they’re physically with you when you do it.

Applying online means uploading a photo of the passport and a photo of the applicant’s face, following GOV.UK’s official rules for digital photos — a photo that doesn’t meet the rules can delay or sink the application. If you’re applying for someone who isn’t with you, online is the only option: you’ll need a photo of their passport and a photo of their face.

Most decisions arrive by email within a day. GOV.UK’s stated window is up to 3 working days, and the confirmation email carries a 16-digit ETA reference number that’s linked to the passport you applied with — you don’t need to print or carry anything separate, just the passport itself when you travel. Crucially, you must wait for that confirmation email before you travel; turning up with an application submitted but not yet approved isn’t the same as having an ETA. If you’ve heard nothing after 3 working days, check your spam folder first, then contact UKVI — there’s no phone support for ETA queries, only webchat.

How long it lasts, and what ends it early

An ETA is valid for 2 years, or until your passport expires — whichever comes first. Inside that window you can travel to the UK as many times as you like, with each individual visit capped at up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family or friends, a business trip, or short-term study. A narrower 3-month allowance applies under the Creative Worker visa concession, and it also covers a permitted paid engagement.

What it doesn’t let you do matters just as much. You cannot stay longer than 6 months on any single visit, cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person (outside a permitted paid engagement or the Creative Worker concession), cannot claim public funds, cannot effectively live in the UK through frequent or successive visits, and cannot marry, register a civil partnership, or give notice of either — that needs a Marriage Visitor visa instead.

A new or changed passport ends your ETA early. It’s electronically tied to the passport number you applied with, and GOV.UK’s checker page is direct about it: “An ETA lasts for 2 years and is linked to your passport. If your passport has expired or changed, you’ll need to apply for a new ETA.” Renewed your passport since you last visited? Budget another £20 and another application before you fly — you can check your current ETA’s status and expiry at gov.uk/check-eta.

Transiting and changing planes

Whether a layover needs an ETA comes down to one question: do you pass through UK border control? GOV.UK splits transiting through a UK airport into two kinds. “Airside” transit means you never pass through UK border control before boarding your connecting flight — no ETA required. “Landside” transit means you do pass through border control, even if you come back through it and leave again within a short window (usually 24 hours) — and that does require an ETA, exactly as if you were visiting properly. GOV.UK’s advice for anyone unsure which applies to their itinerary is simple: check with your airline before you fly, since it depends on the airport and the specific connection.

If your application is refused

There’s no refund on the £20 if you’re turned down. If your application is rejected, or you realise you need to change a detail you’ve already submitted, GOV.UK’s answer is to apply again from scratch, fee included.

Holding a valid ETA still doesn’t guarantee you’ll be let into the UK. GOV.UK states this outright on the ETA overview page, and adds a specific pointer: if you have a criminal record or were previously refused entry to the UK, you may want to apply for a Standard Visitor visa instead of an ETA.

At the border

Your airline checks your documents before you even board. GOV.UK’s border guidance confirms that carriers check your passport and other travel documents and send that information electronically to Border Force before you arrive.

Whether you can use the automatic eGates depends on where your passport is from. British citizens can use them from age 8 with a biometric passport, as can EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein citizens. Beyond that group, eGates are open to passport holders from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States, provided the passport is biometric, the traveller is 8 or older, and they hold a valid digital immigration status or a record of a digital exemption. Everyone using the gates must be at least 120cm tall, and travellers aged 8 to 17 need an accompanying adult.

If you’re refused entry despite arriving with a valid ETA, GOV.UK sets out exactly what happens. You’ll be told in writing why you’ve been refused, whether you can appeal, and when you’ll be removed from the UK. You’ll usually have to leave immediately. In some cases you may be allowed in temporarily — typically for up to a week — but your passport is held and you must report to immigration officers at set times in the meantime.

Continue planning your London trip

Sorting out a SIM before you land? Our eSIM and travel SIM guide covers the options — an arrivals-hall SIM desk is rarely the cheapest one.

Not sure where to base yourself? The best areas to stay in London covers the neighbourhoods that actually work for a first visit.

Watching the budget? London on a budget covers where the money really goes once you’ve landed — and check your airport’s own arrival guide above for the cheapest way into town.

Facts, figures and quotes in this guide are from GOV.UK’s own ETA guidance — gov.uk/eta and the pages it links to, including gov.uk/check-uk-visa, gov.uk/check-eta and gov.uk/uk-border-control — checked on 10 September 2026. Eligible nationalities, prices and rules change; check your own passport at gov.uk/check-uk-visa before you travel.