Every traveller, including babies, needs their own electronic travel authorisation, it allows stays of up to six months and a fee increase has been reported
Planning a trip to London used to mean checking your passport and booking a flight. For many nationalities it now also means applying for an electronic travel authorisation, known as an ETA, before you leave home. This guide sets out what the official GOV.UK page says, what other sources add, and the one piece of advice that matters most: use the official site and nobody else.
What an ETA Is
According to the GOV.UK guidance, an ETA lets you travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to six months, for tourism, visiting family or certain other reasons. Most visitors need either an ETA or a visa, depending on nationality and purpose of travel. Nationals of Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada and certain other countries usually need an ETA rather than a visa. People with a British or Irish passport are exempt, as are people with permission to live, work or study in the UK.
The rule applies to everyone, babies included. Every traveller needs their own ETA, though you can apply on behalf of others. You also need one if you pass through border control at a UK airport before continuing your journey, which the guidance describes as transiting landside. A traveller who only changes planes without passing through UK border control does not need one, according to The Points Guy’s report. If you are unsure whether you need an ETA or a visa, GOV.UK has a visa checker, and the guidance suggests asking your airline if you are unsure about transit.
What It Costs
The guidance gives the cost as 20 pounds through the official GOV.UK service. That figure is the one to rely on. The Points Guy has reported that the fee was set to rise by as much as 25 percent and that the government had not confirmed when the increase would take effect, so the amount may differ by the time you read this. Check the official page on the day you apply.
The same report says that from 25 February, eligible visitors generally need an ETA to legally travel to the UK, and that border officials can stop passengers from boarding without one. The GOV.UK page itself does not state the date the requirement took effect, so treat the date as the report’s claim and check your own situation with the official checker.
How to Apply and How Long It Takes
You apply through the GOV.UK application. The Points Guy says applications are made online and require a photo upload, and that clearance can take up to three business days. The GOV.UK page does not specify processing times, so build in a margin. A sensible rule is to apply as soon as your travel plans are firm, well before you buy non-refundable accommodation, and certainly before the week of your flight.
If an application is rejected because of errors, it can be resubmitted. The report says formal refusals cannot be appealed, and in that case a visa would be needed to enter. That is another reason to take care over the details: the name must match your passport, and the passport must be the one you will travel with.
The Warnings Worth Taking Seriously
The GOV.UK guidance is blunt about imitators. Other websites may charge more, and you should avoid sites that imitate government services. The Points Guy notes that third-party sites can be used to apply but add a surcharge on top of the government fee. The simplest defence is to start from the GOV.UK address, to check that the address is correct before you enter any details, and to compare the fee with the official figure. If a site asks for much more than the official fee, you are probably paying for convenience you do not need.
Two other cautions come from the guidance. An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man. And UK Visas and Immigration cannot handle ETA enquiries by phone, so use the official webchat. Do not call a number you found through a search engine.
Passports and Other Paperwork
An ETA is linked to your passport, and the passport rules still apply. Our own guide to the UK six-month passport rule explains why a passport with plenty of time left can still cause trouble, and it is worth reading before you apply. For American readers, our note on visas for US citizens sets out the friendly language and firm rules in one place, though the ETA has replaced some of what it describes. Our general account of the visa process as a polite obstacle course is a reminder that paperwork is part of the trip.
A Checklist
Before you go, run through a short list. Confirm whether you need an ETA by using the official visa checker. Apply through GOV.UK only. Apply for every traveller, including children. Use the same passport for the application and the journey. Keep a copy of the confirmation. Allow at least three working days, and more if you are travelling at a busy time.
If your plans change and you are travelling to Ireland as well, check the rules separately. The guidance covers the UK, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man, and does not describe the Republic of Ireland. For a trip that involves Northern Ireland, remember that it is part of the UK.
For more practical help with a London visit, see our tourist survival guide, and for the wider magazine visit Bohiney Magazine. For a lighter view of border queues, The Daily Mash has the right sense of humour. The one guarantee the system offers is that a correct application, made early, is much less stressful than an urgent one.
SOURCE: bohiney.com