An Electronic Travel Authorisation is permission to travel, not a visa. It costs £20, lasts two years or until your passport expires, and allows as many journeys as you like. It does not guarantee entry: permission to enter is still granted by a Border Force officer on arrival.
Travel Authorisation
The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation in 2026
What an ETA Is
An ETA lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to six months. It is a pre-travel screening step for people who do not need a visa, sitting between visa-free travel and entry clearance. It is linked electronically to the passport you applied with.
An ETA costs £20, lasts two years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner, and permits unlimited journeys with stays of up to six months. Decisions usually arrive by email within a day, but can take up to three working days. You apply with your passport, an email address, a card or mobile payment and a photograph of your face.
It Is Not a Visa and It Is Not an eVisa
Three things are routinely confused. A visa is entry clearance for someone who needs it. An ETA is travel authorisation for someone who does not. An eVisa is the online record of permission already held by someone living in the UK — see our page on the eVisa and UKVI accounts.
Cost
£20 per person, including children. It rose from £16 on 8 April 2026, having been £10 when the scheme launched. There is no separate application centre fee, no biometrics appointment and no health surcharge — the £20 is the whole cost.
Against a visit visa at £135, the saving is substantial for eligible nationals. Our page on entry clearance fees sets the two side by side.
Who Needs One
Most visitors from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada and a range of other countries need an ETA rather than a visa, depending on nationality and the purpose of the visit. Transit passengers need one where they pass through UK border control before continuing an onward journey.
- Visa-free nationals visiting: for tourism, family, business or short study.
- Transit passengers: where they pass through border control.
- Children: each needs their own ETA, at the same £20.
- Anyone travelling to the Crown Dependencies: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man are covered by the same authorisation.
Check your own nationality against the current GOV.UK checker rather than against a list you have seen elsewhere. Country-specific guidance sits on our pages for the USA, Germany, Saudi Arabia and Jordan.
When the List Changes
Which nationalities need an ETA rather than a visa is set out in the Immigration Rules and changed by statement of changes. Nationalities have been both added to the scheme and removed from it since it launched, and a removal means reverting to a full visa requirement.
A nationality removed from the scheme means the £20 authorisation is replaced by a £135 visa application with biometrics and a three-week wait. Travellers who booked on the basis of last year's position are the ones caught out. Check the current requirement before booking, every time.
The Rollout, and Why Advice Online Is Often Stale
The scheme was introduced in stages, nationality group by nationality group, over more than two years. That phased rollout is why so much of what circulates about it is out of date: guidance written for one group's start date says nothing useful about another's, and the fee has changed twice since launch.
The consequence for travellers is practical. Treat the GOV.UK checker as the only reliable source, check it at the point of booking rather than at the point of packing, and ignore any list of eligible nationalities that does not carry a current date.
Who Does Not Need One
- British and Irish passport holders.
- Anyone with permission to live, work or study in the UK: including settled status and those on the student route.
- Anyone holding a UK visa: an ETA is an alternative to a visa, not an addition to it.
- Holders of an EU Settlement Scheme family permit: see our page on the family permit.
- Certain other exempt groups: set out in the Rules.
If you already hold a visa or permission, do not buy an ETA. It adds nothing, and the £20 is not refunded because you did not need it.
Applying
- The passport you will travel with: the authorisation is linked to it electronically.
- An email address: the decision arrives there.
- A payment method: credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- A photograph of your face: taken during the application.
Apply through the UK ETA app or the GOV.UK service. Each traveller needs their own application, including children, though one person can complete an application on another's behalf. There is no appointment and no document upload.
How Long It Takes
You will usually get a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to three working days. Applying at the airport is not a plan: an application refused or held for review leaves you unable to board, and carriers check before departure.
Apply as soon as travel is decided. There is no advantage in waiting, the authorisation lasts two years, and applying early removes the only real risk in the process. Our page on processing times covers the visa alternative if you turn out to need one.
Validity and What It Permits
An ETA lasts two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and permits as many journeys as you want during that period. Each visit may last up to six months. A new passport means a new ETA — the authorisation does not transfer.
What You May Do
The same activities a visitor may do: tourism, visiting family and friends, business meetings and negotiations, short courses, and other permitted activities. The visitor prohibitions apply in full — no work for a UK employer, no public funds, no study beyond what the rules allow. See our page on permitted activities.
Two things an ETA cannot cover. Marrying or giving notice of marriage requires a Marriage or Civil Partnership visit visa — see our page on marriage visitors. And study beyond the visitor limits requires the appropriate route, covered on our page on short-term study.
At the Border and Before Boarding
Carriers check that you hold permission to travel before you board. Without an ETA or a visa, an eligible national is refused boarding, not refused entry — the problem arrives at the departure airport rather than in the UK.
GOV.UK is explicit that an ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man. A Border Force officer still decides whether to grant permission to enter, and can refuse where the purpose of the visit is not permitted, funds are insufficient, or the travel pattern suggests living in the UK.
Arriving Without One
Because carriers check permission to travel before boarding, the failure point is the departure gate rather than the UK border. Airlines refuse boarding, and there is no on-the-spot remedy: an application made in the terminal may take up to three working days, by which time the flight has gone and the ticket is usually lost.
Where a booking is already made and the position is unclear, the cheap insurance is applying anyway. £20 spent unnecessarily is a smaller loss than a missed flight, and an ETA held by someone who turns out not to have needed it causes no problem at the border.
ETA or Visit Visa
The Two Compared
| Feature | ETA | Standard Visitor visa |
|---|---|---|
| Fee | £20 | £135 for up to 6 months |
| Validity | 2 years, or passport expiry | 6 months, or 2, 5 or 10 years |
| Journeys | Unlimited | Normally unlimited |
| Stay per visit | Up to 6 months | Up to 6 months |
| Biometrics | None | Required at a visa application centre |
| Decision time | Usually within a day, up to 3 working days | Around 3 weeks |
| Documents | Passport and a photograph | Full supporting evidence |
Source: GOV.UK ETA and visitor pages and the Home Office fee table, 8 April 2026. Checked 22 August 2026.
Where you are eligible for an ETA you cannot choose a visa instead, and there is no reason to want one. Where you are not eligible, the standard visitor route applies with its full evidential requirements — see our application form walkthrough.
What an ETA Does Not Do
It does not give a right of entry, it does not extend the six-month visitor limit, and it does not create any route to remaining in the UK. Time spent here on an ETA counts towards nothing, and the visitor rules on frequent or successive visits apply exactly as they do to visa holders.
It also does not launder a difficult immigration history. Suitability grounds apply to ETA applications, so criminality, previous breaches and deception can all lead to refusal — see our pages on re-entry bans and the deception ban.
Where Applications Go Wrong
- Applying with the wrong passport: the ETA is linked to the document you applied with.
- Renewing the passport afterwards: which ends the ETA and requires a new one.
- Buying one when you already hold a visa: unnecessary, and not refunded.
- Leaving it to the airport: decisions can take up to three working days.
- Not declaring a previous refusal or conviction: non-disclosure is a suitability issue in itself.
- Assuming it covers marriage or long study: both need the correct route.
A refusal is a decision that must be declared on later applications, so an ETA is not a cost-free test of your position. Our pages on refusal grounds, refusal letters and what to do next cover the aftermath.
Sources: the GOV UK ETA pages, Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation and the Home Office fee table effective 8 April 2026. Figures verified 22 August 2026.
Frequently Asked
ETA Questions
How much does an ETA cost?
£20 per person, including children. It rose from £16 on 8 April 2026.
How long does it last?
Two years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. You can travel as many times as you want within that period.
How long can I stay on each visit?
Up to six months, the same as a standard visitor. The rules on living in the UK through frequent or successive visits apply in full.
How quickly is it decided?
Usually by email within a day, but it can take up to three working days. Do not leave it to the day of travel.
Do children need their own?
Yes, each traveller needs their own ETA at £20, including children. An adult can complete the application on a child's behalf.
What happens when I get a new passport?
The ETA ends with the old passport. You need a new application with the new document, even if the two years have not run.
Do I need one to transit?
Yes, where you pass through UK border control before continuing your journey. Check the position for your specific routing before booking.
Does an ETA guarantee I will be let in?
No. GOV.UK states plainly that it does not guarantee entry. A Border Force officer still decides whether to grant permission to enter.
Can I marry in the UK on an ETA?
No. Marrying, forming a civil partnership or giving notice requires a Marriage or Civil Partnership visit visa, whatever your nationality.
Can an ETA be refused?
Yes, on suitability grounds including criminality, previous immigration breaches and deception. A refusal must be declared on later applications.