Electronic Travel Authorisation (United Kingdom)

The United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is an advance travel permission required from foreign nationals who intend to visit or transit the United Kingdom without a visa.

The system, as part of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022, operates using an online application whose information is checked against security databases. If the system does not find adverse information about the applicant, the travel authorisation is granted automatically, otherwise the application is forwarded to an officer to decide whether to grant the authorisation. The system is expected to provide a response within three working days.

A UK ETA is valid for multiple entries for two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever is sooner. It may be used for temporary stays for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, study, certain types of work, or transit. Having an ETA does not guarantee entry into the UK.

History
On 9 March 2023, the UK government announced plans for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme, to replace the Electronic Visa Waiver scheme that was available for nationals of GCC countries. The government also planned to make the ETA available for nationals of Jordan during the initial stage, and later require the ETA from other foreign nationals travelling to the UK without a visa.

On 6 June 2023, it was announced that the ETA would cost £10 per applicant.

ETA applications opened for nationals of Qatar on 25 October 2023 for travel from 15 November 2023, and for nationals of other GCC countries and Jordan on 1 February 2024 for travel from 22 February 2024.

Required nationalities
As of 2024, a UK ETA is required from nationals of the following countries travelling to the UK without a visa:

At a later time, the UK government also plans to require an ETA from nationals of all other countries (except Ireland) who may travel to the UK without a visa:

An ETA may also be required from the following classes of British nationals, who hold British passports and may travel to the UK without a visa for short stays but do not have the automatic right to reside there:

Exemptions
The following classes of individuals do not need an ETA:
 * 🇬🇧 British citizens
 * 🇬🇧 British subjects with right of abode in the United Kingdom
 * 🇬🇧 British Overseas Territories citizens
 * 🇮🇪 Ireland citizens, except those subject to a UK deportation order, exclusion order decision, or an international travel ban
 * Holders of an entry clearance or permission to enter or stay in the UK, such as a UK visa or residence permit
 * People who are exempt from immigration control in the UK
 * Residents of Ireland travelling to the UK from other parts of the Common Travel Area (Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, and the Isle of Man)

Application
Applications for an ETA are made preferably through mobile phones using the UK ETA app, available from the App Store and Google Play. Applications can also be made online at a UK government website. Each traveller, including children and babies, must have an individual ETA.

Applicants for an ETA must:
 * Upload or take a photo of their original passport
 * Scan their passport, if it contains an electronic chip and their mobile device can read it
 * Scan their face, except for children age 9 or younger
 * Upload or take a photo of themselves
 * Answer questions about their address, job, criminal history, and other nationalities, if any
 * If under age 18, provide contact information of someone with parental responsibility for the applicant
 * Pay a fee of £10 with a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay
 * Have access to email

The applicant's information is checked against security databases. If the system does not find adverse information about the applicant, the travel authorisation is granted automatically, otherwise the application is forwarded to an officer to decide whether to grant the authorisation. The decision is sent to the applicant by email, usually within three working days.

If approved, the ETA is digitally linked to the applicant's passport, so the applicant does not need to show anything else when entering the UK. The ETA is valid for multiple entries for two years or until the applicant's passport expires, whichever is sooner. The ETA may be used for temporary stays for tourism, visiting family and friends, business, study, certain types of work, or transit.

Enforcement
Carriers to the UK are expected to check that individuals have the appropriate permission to travel, in document or digital form, before they bring them to the UK. Otherwise, they may be liable to a penalty charge.

Individuals arriving in the UK without a UK ETA, if not exempted, may be refused entry. However, having an ETA does not guarantee entry into the UK.

It is a criminal offence to obtain a UK ETA by deception.