How to apply for a UK ETA

Who needs an ETA and what it covers

What a traveller needs — an ETA, a visa, or neither — depends on nationality and on the reason for the trip [1] [2]. GOV.UK's Standard Visitor guidance sets out three outcomes by nationality: applying for a Standard Visitor visa before travelling, applying for an ETA, or visiting for up to 6 months without needing either a visa or an ETA [3]. Where entry clearance is required, the Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Visa national list names the nationalities that must hold a visa in advance for a visit, or for any other purpose of less than six months, subject to the exceptions in that appendix [4].

An ETA covers tourism, visiting family and certain other reasons [1] [2]. The ETA overview points readers to a separate page for those other reasons rather than listing them itself [1] [2]. Two groups are named as not needing an ETA: people with a British or Irish passport, and people who already have permission to live, work or study in the UK [1] [2]. GOV.UK lists the authorisation and the visa as separate routes for visitors, so it is worth checking which type of entry permission applies before booking [3].

Even where neither a visa nor an ETA is needed, a visitor must still meet the Standard Visitor eligibility requirements, and may be asked questions at the UK border about their eligibility and planned activities [3].

Applying, cost and checks

An ETA costs £20 [1] [2]. GOV.UK warns that other websites may charge more and that applicants should avoid websites that imitate government services [1] [2]. Every person travelling needs an ETA, including babies and children, and one person can apply on behalf of others [1] [2].

Once an ETA has been issued, the holder can check online whether they have one and when it expires [1] [2]. Questions can be put through webchat; UK Visas and Immigration cannot help with ETA enquiries over the phone [1] [2]. The guidance checked does not give a validity period for an ETA, and it does not describe how an authorisation is linked to a passport; the only date it points to is the expiry date shown by the online check [1] [2].

The ETA sits alongside the visitor rules, which set the conditions of the trip. A visitor must hold a passport or travel document valid for the whole stay, be able to show that they will leave the UK at the end of the visit, support themselves and any dependants during the trip, pay for the return or onward journey, and not live in the UK for extended periods through frequent or successive visits [3]. Document checks are covered in passport validity and entry checks. Anyone previously refused entry to the UK, or with a criminal record, may want to apply for a Standard Visitor visa even if they do not need one [3].

Transit through a UK airport

The ETA guidance states one transit rule directly: a traveller who passes through border control at a UK airport before continuing an onward journey — landside transit — needs an ETA [1] [2]. It advises travellers who are unsure to check with their airline [1] [2].

Under the visitor rules, passing through the UK to another country is a permitted activity for a Standard Visitor [3]. Where transit is the only reason for coming to the UK, the traveller can instead apply for a Visitor in Transit visa, which costs £74.50 [3]; the UK airport transit visa page covers that route in more detail. The visa national list adds a narrow exception for transit visitors travelling on an emergency travel document issued by, and evidencing the nationality of, a country that is not on the list, where the purpose of the transit is to travel to the country in which they are ordinarily resident [4].

ETA, Standard Visitor visa and Visitor in Transit visa

• ETA. £20 for travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons, without needing a visa; it does not guarantee entry [1] [2] [3].
• Standard Visitor visa. £135 for up to 6 months, applied for online before travel, and the earliest application is three months before the trip; regular visitors can choose a long-term Standard Visitor visa instead [3].
• Visitor in Transit visa. £74.50, for a traveller whose only reason for coming to the UK is to pass through it to another country [3].
• What a visitor may do. Permitted activities include tourism, visiting family or friends, transit to another country, certain business activities, permitted paid engagements, study, academic visits and medical treatment [3]. A visitor cannot do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person unless it is a permitted paid engagement or event, claim public funds, live in the UK for long periods through frequent or successive visits, or marry or register a civil partnership — a Marriage Visitor visa is needed for that [3].
• A Standard Visitor can usually stay for up to 6 months, and might be able to apply to stay longer in certain circumstances, for example to receive medical treatment [3].

GOV.UK presents the three routes as separate options, and the choice depends on nationality and on whether the traveller needs a visa or is only passing through [3]. The comparison of travel authorisation systems places the UK scheme alongside other countries' schemes.

Exceptions and limits

• The visa national list exempts several passport holders from needing a visit visa before travelling as a Visitor, other than where paragraph VN 2.3 applies: nationals of the People's Republic of China holding a passport issued by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of China or a passport issued by the Macao Special Administrative Region of China, nationals of the Taiwan Region of China holding a passport of the Taiwan Region of China that includes the identification card number, and holders of Service, Temporary Service or Diplomatic passports issued by the Holy See [4].
• That exemption does not apply to a person visiting the UK to marry or form a civil partnership, or to give notice of one, unless they are a "relevant national" as defined in section 62 of the Immigration Act 2014, nor to a person seeking to visit for more than 6 months [4].
• Nationals of Nicaragua and of St Lucia with a confirmed booking to the UK and an ETA granted on or before 15:00 GMT on 5 March 2026, arriving no later than 15:00 BST on 16 April 2026, are also listed as not needing a visit visa before travel [4].
• School parties from France (pupils aged 18 or under) and from Germany (19 or under), studying at a school or institution in that country, travelling as a party of five or more pupils organised by the school, do not need entry clearance before travelling as a Visitor [4].
• The rules on what is needed to enter the UK may be different for travellers coming from Ireland, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man [3].
• An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man [1] [2].

Related pages

Terms: entry permission types, frequent flyer glossary. Guides: travel authorisation systems compared, UK airport transit visa, passport validity and entry checks.

Sources

Sources accessed on 18 October 2026. It covers the UK ETA scheme and its interaction with the visitor and transit routes; British and Irish passport holders, and people who already hold UK immigration permission to work or study, are not covered here.

1. GOV.UK: Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK — overview, checked 18 October 2026
2. GOV.UK: Electronic travel authorisation (ETA) guidance page, checked 18 October 2026
3. GOV.UK: Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor — overview, checked 18 October 2026
4. GOV.UK: Immigration Rules Appendix Visitor: Visa national list, checked 18 October 2026