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United Kingdom · Required now

UK ETAwho needs it, the official fee, how to apply

If you’re a U.S., Canadian, Australian or EU citizen (other than Irish) visiting the UK, you need an approved ETA before you travel. It costs £20 on the official UK ETA app or GOV.UK, usually comes through within a day (allow 3 working days), and lasts two years.

Checked against official sources Oct 29, 2026 · Sources

Status
Required since Jan 8, 2025
Official fee
£20 · since April 8, 2026 (was £16); not refundable
Valid for
2 years, or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner
Each visit
Up to 6 months per visit
Official decision time
Usually a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to 3 working days
Apply at least
3 working days before you travel (3 working days); earlier is safer
Apply only at
apply-for-an-eta.homeoffice.gov.uk · official UK ETA app or GOV.UK

Who needs it

Of the passports we cover: U.S. citizens, Canadians, Australians, EU citizens. Visitors who don’t need a UK visa and have no UK immigration status, including for tourism, business, short study, and passing through UK border control on a connection. U.S., Canadian and Australian citizens since January 8, 2025; EU citizens since April 2, 2025.

Who doesn’t

British and Irish citizens (including dual citizens), people with a UK visa or permission to live, work or study in the UK (including EU Settlement Scheme status), people living in Ireland traveling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man, and travelers changing planes airside (a temporary exemption).

How to apply

  1. Apply on the official UK ETA app or on GOV.UK. Have your passport and a payment card; the app scans your passport chip and takes a photo.
  2. Pay £20. Each person, including babies and children, needs their own ETA.
  3. Apply at least 3 working days before you travel. The ETA is linked to the passport you used, so travel on that same passport.

Children

Every traveler needs their own ETA, including babies and children.

If you’re only changing planes

Changing planes without passing UK border control is temporarily exempt (the Home Office keeps this under review). In practice airside transit is possible only at Heathrow and Manchester. If you go through border control, for example to change airports or collect bags, you need an ETA.

If it’s refused

If your ETA is refused there is no appeal; you can apply for a UK Standard Visitor visa instead.

Fake UK ETA sites. GOV.UK warns that other websites may charge more to apply and to avoid websites that imitate government services. The official fee is £20. The official addresses aregov.uk, apply-for-an-eta.homeoffice.gov.uk. How to spot a fake visa site.

Official sources

  1. Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK: Overview - GOV.UK · An ETA costs £20. · checked 2026-10-29
  2. Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA): Apply for an ETA - GOV.UK · It costs £20 to apply online or through the UK ETA app. You cannot get a refund after you apply. · checked 2026-10-29
  3. Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) factsheet - April 2026 - Home Office in the media (GOV.UK blog) · An ETA currently costs £20 and permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until the holder’s passport expires – whichever is sooner. · checked 2026-10-29
  4. The Immigration, Nationality and Passports (Fees) (Amendment) Regulations 2026 (SI 2026/311) - legislation.gov.uk · Except as specified in paragraphs (3) and (4), these Regulations come into force at 9.00 a.m. on 8th April 2026. · checked 2026-10-29
  5. Electronic travel authorisation: caseworker guidance (accessible) - GOV.UK (published for Home Office staff, updated 3 August 2026) · The ETA application process opened on 27 November 2024 for all remaining non-visa nationals, except for Europeans, for travel to the UK on or after 8 January 2025. · checked 2026-10-29
  6. No permission, no travel: UK set to enforce ETA scheme - GOV.UK (24 November 2025) · Visitors from 85 nationalities, including the United States, Canada, and France, who do not need a visa will not be able to legally travel to the UK without an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) from 25 February 2026. · checked 2026-10-29
  7. Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA): What you can and cannot do with an ETA - GOV.UK · come to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, on a business trip or for short-term study · checked 2026-10-29
  8. Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA): When you do not need an ETA - GOV.UK · you’re transiting through a UK airport without passing through border control (airside) - check with your airline if you are not sure · checked 2026-10-29

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