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

Nearly every visa-free visitor to the UK, including those from the United States, Canada, Australia and the EU, now needs an electronic travel authorisation (ETA): a £20 permit you apply for online before you travel, not at the border. Apply only on GOV.UK or the official app. Other websites may charge more 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 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, you cannot get an ETA and need a visa instead. The list can change, so check your own passport at gov.uk/check-uk-visa.

EU, EEA and Swiss citizens need an ETA for a holiday or short trip, like US or Australian passport holders. The exception is Irish citizens, who “can continue to enter and live in the UK without a visa” and never need an ETA.

Dual citizens with British or Irish citizenship cannot get an ETA at all. 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 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, with no family bundling. 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. You pay by credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay, in the app or on the website, and there is no refund once you’ve applied: if the application is rejected or you need to correct a detail, you 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 app uses your phone’s camera to scan your passport and your face directly. 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 rules for digital photos; a photo that doesn’t meet them can delay or reject 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 only need to show your passport when you travel. Wait for the confirmation email before you travel. 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 an ETA doesn’t allow: 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. An ETA is linked to the passport you applied with, so if your passport has expired or changed you need to apply for a new ETA, and pay another £20, before you fly. You can check your 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? “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. If you’re unsure which applies to your connection, check with your airline before you fly.

If your application is refused

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

A valid ETA doesn’t guarantee entry to the UK. If you have a criminal record or were previously refused entry, you may want to apply for a Standard Visitor visa instead of an ETA.

At the border

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. EU, Swiss, Norwegian, Icelandic and Liechtenstein citizens, and passport holders from Australia, Canada, Japan, New Zealand, Singapore, South Korea and the United States, can too, 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 a valid ETA, 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.

Sorting out cash and cards before you land? Our money in London guide covers the contactless limit, which cash machines charge, and where card-only London actually is.

Still choosing your dates? Best Time to Visit London sets the weather, crowds and cost of every month against each other.

Wondering what happens if you get ill or hurt? Our healthcare in London guide covers 999 versus 111, what’s free on the NHS, and what a GHIC or EHIC actually covers.

Wondering about crime and safety? Our is London safe guide covers the Met’s own crime figures, the scams aimed at visitors, and exactly who to call.

Eligible nationalities, prices and rules change: check your own passport at gov.uk/check-uk-visa before you travel.