The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is now part of the pre-travel process for many visa-exempt visitors heading to the United Kingdom. For an eligible traveller, the government application fee is £20, approval is linked electronically to the passport used in the application, and the ETA normally remains valid for up to two years.
The part that creates confusion is what the ETA actually gives you. It is permission to travel to the UK, not a visa, residence permit or general work authorisation. You must still qualify as a visitor when you arrive.
What should you know before applying for a UK ETA?
Budget £20 per traveller, use the exact passport you will carry, allow up to three working days for a decision, and wait for the approval email before travelling. If that passport is renewed, replaced or expires, you will need a new ETA.
Do you actually need a UK ETA?
Most visitors now need either a visa or an ETA before travelling to the UK. Which one applies depends on your nationality, passport, immigration status and reason for travel.
An ETA is generally relevant to visa-exempt visitors travelling for an eligible short stay. This includes many passport holders from the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, New Zealand and other visa-exempt jurisdictions.
Do not rely on an old nationality list copied from a travel blog. Use the UK government’s live ETA eligibility guidance for the exact passport you intend to travel with.
Who does not need a UK ETA?
Important exemptions include people who already hold another qualifying form of British or Irish citizenship or UK immigration permission.
| Situation | ETA normally needed? |
|---|---|
| British citizen | No |
| Irish citizen | No |
| Valid UK visa | No |
| Permission to live, work or study in the UK | No |
| Settled or pre-settled status | No |
| Airside airport transit without passing UK border control | No under the current exemption |
| Landside transit through UK border control | Usually yes if otherwise ETA-eligible |
| Ordinary visa-exempt tourist or short visitor | Usually yes |
There are additional exemptions and special cases, including certain lawful residents of Ireland travelling within the Common Travel Area. Check the official exemption page rather than assuming a general rule applies to you.
UK ETA cost: what does the £20 actually cover?
The official UK ETA application fee is £20 per person. There is no family ETA and no group fee. Each traveller needs an individual authorisation where the requirement applies, including babies and children.
The price is the same whether you apply through the official UK ETA app or through the official GOV.UK online application service.
- Fee: £20 for each application.
- Children: each child requires a separate ETA if required.
- Refund: the government application fee is non-refundable after submission.
- Repeat trips: you do not pay £20 for every journey while the same ETA remains valid.
- New passport: a new application and another fee are required when the linked passport changes.
What documents and information do you need?
The ETA application is lighter than a conventional visitor visa application, but the passport and identity details must be correct.
- The original passport you will actually use to travel.
- A working email address.
- A credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay.
- A passport image or scan as requested by the application method.
- A facial image of the applicant.
- Accurate answers to the personal and eligibility questions presented during the application.
Applications can also request information such as your address, employment, other nationalities and criminal-conviction history. Applicants under 18 may need to provide contact details for someone with parental responsibility.
The ETA is digitally linked to the passport used during the application. That makes the passport more than supporting evidence: it is part of the travel authorisation itself.
How to apply: UK ETA app or official website
There are two official routes. You can use the UK ETA mobile app, or apply through the official GOV.UK web service.
How long does a UK ETA take?
UKVI says applicants will usually receive a decision by email within one day, but a decision can take up to three working days.
“Usually within a day” is not a same-day guarantee. If your flight, rail journey, cruise or accommodation is difficult to change, use the full three-working-day window rather than planning around the fastest possible outcome.
If no decision has arrived after three working days, check your spam or junk folder before contacting UKVI.
How long is a UK ETA valid?
An approved ETA normally remains valid for two years or until the linked passport expires, whichever happens first.
During that period it can support multiple eligible trips. That does not mean you receive two years of continuous residence in the UK. Ordinary visitor stays are normally limited to up to six months and must continue to fit the Visitor Rules.
| ETA validity | What it means |
|---|---|
| Up to 2 years | The travel authorisation can remain active for repeat eligible journeys. |
| Passport expires earlier | The ETA effectively ends with the linked passport. |
| Multiple journeys | Permitted while the ETA remains valid and each journey qualifies. |
| Usually up to 6 months per visitor stay | This does not create a right to live in the UK through repeated visits. |
The passport rule that causes avoidable problems
Your ETA is linked to the specific passport used in the application. If the passport expires, is renewed, lost, stolen or replaced, the ETA does not simply move to the new document.
This is particularly relevant when your passport is close to expiry. Paying for an ETA shortly before renewing the passport can mean paying another £20 soon afterwards.
Passport validity for a UK trip
Your passport should be valid for the entire planned UK stay. The UK does not impose a universal extra six-month passport-validity requirement for every visitor.
Check the expiry date before applying, particularly if you expect to make several UK trips during the ETA validity period.
UK airport transit: airside vs landside matters
A UK airport connection does not automatically mean you need an ETA. The important question is whether you pass through UK border control.
| Connection type | Border control? | ETA |
|---|---|---|
| Airside transit | No | ETA not required under the current exemption. |
| Landside transit | Yes | An ETA is required if you are otherwise in an ETA-eligible category. |
Baggage collection, airport changes, separate tickets or the layout of a particular connection can affect whether you must cross the UK border.
If you need to collect and re-check baggage, change airports, leave the airport for a hotel or sightseeing, or pass immigration for another reason, the connection is likely to be landside.
What can you do in the UK with an ETA?
An ETA can support eligible short visits for purposes such as tourism, visiting family or friends, certain business activities, short-term study, qualifying permitted paid engagements and relevant transit.
But an ETA remains a digital permission to travel. It does not guarantee admission and it does not replace the underlying Visitor Rules.
Visitors generally cannot use an ETA to take ordinary employment with a UK company, fill a role in a UK organisation, or operate as a UK self-employed person unless a specific permitted visitor activity applies.
Can you work remotely in the UK with an ETA?
This is where the distinction between travel permission and work permission matters.
Current Visitor Rules can permit remote activities connected with an overseas job while a visitor is in the UK, provided remote work is not the primary purpose of the visit.
In practical terms, secondary activities such as answering emails, taking work calls or joining remote meetings for an overseas employer can fit differently from deliberately moving to the UK for several months primarily to perform your normal online job.
| Example | Practical reading |
|---|---|
| Two-week holiday with occasional overseas work emails | Remote activity may fit as secondary activity to a genuine visit. |
| Conference trip plus calls for your overseas employer | Potentially compatible with permitted visitor activity. |
| Three-month stay designed mainly around your normal online job | Higher risk that remote work is viewed as the primary purpose. |
| Taking employment with a UK company | ETA visitor status does not provide general permission for this. |
| Operating as a self-employed person in the UK | Not general visitor permission. |
ETA approval does not guarantee entry
An approved ETA allows you to travel to the UK and seek entry. Border officials can still assess whether your visit is consistent with the immigration rules.
An officer may consider whether you are a genuine visitor, intend to leave at the end of the trip, can support yourself, can fund your onward or return travel, and are not using repeated visits to make the UK your main home.
Useful records to keep accessible
These are not necessarily ETA application uploads, but depending on your circumstances they can make it easier to answer questions about your trip:
- onward or return travel plans;
- accommodation details;
- evidence that you can fund the trip;
- an itinerary, event details or host information; and
- evidence of overseas employment, study, business activity or home-country ties where relevant.
UK ETA and tax residence are separate questions
An ETA concerns travel and immigration permission. It does not determine whether you are UK tax resident.
Tax residence is assessed under separate rules that can consider time spent in the UK, work patterns, accommodation and other UK ties.
Do not use the two-year ETA validity period or the normal visitor stay limit as a shortcut for tax planning. Longer, repeated or work-related stays may justify individual cross-border tax advice.
UK ETA checklist before you fly
- Confirm whether the exact passport you will use needs an ETA.
- Check whether an exemption already applies to you.
- Use the official UK ETA app or GOV.UK online application route.
- Budget £20 per traveller, including children where required.
- Allow up to three working days for a decision.
- Wait for approval before travelling.
- Travel with the same passport used for the ETA application.
- Apply again if the passport is renewed or replaced.
- Confirm whether any UK airport connection is genuinely airside or landside.
- Make sure any remote activity remains compatible with the Visitor Rules.
UK ETA FAQ
How much does the UK ETA cost?
The official government application fee is £20 for each applicant.
Do children need a UK ETA?
Each traveller needs their own ETA if the requirement applies to them, including babies and children.
Is the £20 fee charged for every trip?
No. The fee is per application. A valid ETA can support multiple eligible journeys during its validity period.
How quickly is a UK ETA approved?
Decisions usually arrive by email within one day, but applicants should allow up to three working days.
Can I travel before the ETA decision arrives?
Wait until you receive confirmation that the ETA has been granted before travelling to the UK.
How long does an ETA last?
It normally lasts for two years or until the linked passport expires, whichever happens first.
Can I transfer an ETA to a new passport?
No. A new or replacement passport requires a new ETA application.
Do I need an ETA for a London airport layover?
Not when you qualify for the current airside-transit exemption and do not pass through UK border control. A landside connection normally requires an ETA when you are otherwise subject to the ETA requirement.
Can I work remotely from the UK with an ETA?
Limited remote activity connected with overseas employment can be permitted where it remains secondary to a genuine visitor purpose. An ETA does not provide general permission to work for a UK company or establish a remote-work base in the UK.
Official sources
Immigration requirements can change. Trailandra uses official sources for the core rules in this guide and recommends checking the live government pages again before travel.
- GOV.UK — Electronic Travel Authorisation overview
- GOV.UK — Apply for an ETA
- GOV.UK — When you do not need an ETA
- GOV.UK — What you can and cannot do with an ETA
- GOV.UK — Using the UK ETA app
- GOV.UK — Before you leave for the UK
- GOV.UK — Visitor permitted activities
- GOV.UK — Visit caseworker guidance
- GOV.UK — UK residence and tax
