UK ETA Explained: Cost, Validity and Wait Times

What an ETA is

An ETA is a digital permission to travel to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months per visit. You apply online or in the UK ETA app, answer a few questions, pay, and get the result by email. It is linked to the passport you used to apply. It does not guarantee entry: you are still checked at the border.

Who needs one

Most visitors need either an ETA or a visa, depending on nationality and the reason for the trip. GOV.UK says you usually need an ETA rather than a visa if you are from Europe, the USA, Australia, Canada or certain other countries. The GOV.UK visa checker gives the answer for each nationality. Every traveler needs their own ETA, including babies and children, and you can apply for other people.

An ETA covers tourism, visiting family or friends, business trips and short-term study, plus some permitted paid engagements. It does not let you work for a UK company, claim benefits, marry, or live in the UK through frequent or back-to-back visits.

Who does not need one

• British and Irish citizens. Dual citizens who hold British or Irish citizenship cannot get an ETA and travel on that passport instead.
• People with a UK visa, or permission to live, work or study in the UK, such as settled or pre-settled status.
• People with permission to live, work or study in Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man.
• Holders of a British overseas territories citizen passport or a British National (Overseas) passport.
• Residents of Ireland from a country that would otherwise need an ETA, when they enter from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.
• Transit passengers who stay airside and do not pass through UK border control.

If you leave the airport or go through border control between flights, that is landside transit and you need an ETA.

How to apply

You need the passport you will travel with, an email address, and a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay. You also need a photo of your face. The app scans your passport and face with the phone camera; online, you upload a photo of the passport and a face photo that meets the digital photo rules. In the app you can apply for someone else only if they are with you.

GOV.UK warns that other websites may charge more and that some imitate government services. The official service is on gov.uk. Questions go through the UKVI webchat, as UKVI cannot help with ETA enquiries by phone.

How long a decision takes

You will usually get a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to 3 working days. You must not travel until you have the email confirming your ETA. Counting Monday to Friday, this is the latest expected answer for an application sent on each weekday of one week:

An application sent on a Wednesday or later may not be decided until the next week. For a Monday flight, an application sent on the Tuesday before should be decided by Friday; earlier is safer. If you hear nothing after 3 working days, check the spam folder before contacting UKVI. The add or subtract days tool counts back from a departure date.

How long it lasts

An ETA is valid for 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner. Two examples, both granted on Nov 2, 2026:

The second traveler's passport runs out first, so the ETA ends with it and a new passport means a new application. The days between dates calculator shows how much time a passport has left. You can check when your ETA expires with the GOV.UK check service.

ETA and ETIAS side by side

The EU is building a similar permit, ETIAS, for its own visa-exempt visitors. The two are separate: a UK ETA does not let you into France, and an ETIAS will not let you into London. ETIAS is planned but not yet running, so the EU figures below are the ones currently stated on the official EU website.

One difference matters for planning. The UK counts each visit, up to 6 months at a time, and only warns against living in the UK through repeated visits. The EU counts all days in a rolling 180-day window across 29 countries, so several short trips add up. A traveler who spends three weeks in London and then six weeks in Spain uses none of the UK allowance in Spain and none of the EU allowance in London; the two clocks run separately.

What it costs a family

The fee is per person, so a family of 4 pays 4 × £20 = £80 before the trip, and the money is not refunded if plans change. Add it to the flights and hotel in the travel budget calculator. If the same trip continues to mainland Europe, the EU's own permit, ETIAS, is planned but not yet running; the ETIAS and EES guide explains its status and the 90/180-day rule.

Checklist

• Check on GOV.UK whether your nationality needs an ETA or a visa.
• Apply on the official app or gov.uk only, with the passport you will travel on.
• Apply at least 3 working days before departure, and wait for the confirmation email.
• Apply for every traveler, including babies.
• Reapply after getting a new passport.
• Keep each visit under 6 months.

Frequently asked questions

Sources

• GOV.UK: Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK (cost £20; stays of up to 6 months in the UK, Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man; everyone including babies and children; landside transit; no guarantee of entry)
• GOV.UK: Apply for an ETA (decision usually within a day, up to 3 working days; valid 2 years or until the passport expires; unlimited trips; what you need; fee not refundable; wait for the email before travel)
• GOV.UK: When you do not need an ETA (British or Irish citizens, UK visa holders, permission to live, work or study, airside transit, residents of Ireland in some cases, BOTC and BN(O) passports)
• GOV.UK: What you can and cannot do with an ETA (tourism, family, business, short-term study; no work; no living in the UK through frequent visits)
• Official EU website: ETIAS (not yet in operation; fee EUR 20; valid up to three years or until the passport expires; up to 90 days in any 180-day period)
• GOV.UK: Apply for an electronic travel authorisation guidance (who usually needs an ETA rather than a visa; webchat support; avoid sites that imitate government services)

Written by Tobias. Updated November 2, 2026.