As we have posted here and elsewhere recently, Austrian (and other EU citizens) are now able to apply for their Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for travel to the UK from 2nd April 2025. A couple of pieces of feedback came through from Facebook users about the “opening day experience”. One Austrian user was informed that they couldn’t get an ETA, but it transpired that they were exempt due to having held some kind of settled status.
In my case, I did the process in the evening – via the Android version of the App. From my experience, I’d recommend sitting by your computer to avoid switching between apps too much. It took about 10 minutes to go through the process from start to finish. There is also a web-based application process in case you don’t have a smartphone. You need to register your e-mail address and link it to the app first. You receive the confirmation of application as well as the confirmation that it has been approved by e-mail.
Technical requirements
You will need to activate the NFC function on your phone (for your phone to take data from the chip in your passport). The app will prompt you to do so. This helped speed up a lot of the process, as does the machine reading of the passport (another requirement!). For the picture you have to send, take off your glasses and stand in front of a light wall.
If you apply from an Austrian phone, it converts your payment to a Euro amount – it was EUR 12.59 (for a GBP 10 fee) – but there was a further EUR 1.63 fee. Applying individually might mount up if you have several children. The payment purpose shows up including UKVI and ETA (this might be useful for finding your payment in your account).
The waiting game?
After finishing applying, I received a confirmation of payment. It advised that it might take three working days for approval, and to follow-up only if a week had passed. However, I got the confirmation mail in 12 minutes.
What did the confirmation mail contain?
It contained the following information:
- Your ETA reference number in the form 1234-1234-1234-1234
- The from and to validity dates. Unlike the American ESTA, there is no possible confusion as dates are in 2 APRIL 2025 format.
- Your name
- The last four digits of your passport used. It also reminds you that you will need a new ETA if you get a new passport.
- Tells you what you can use the ETA for (tourism, visiting friends and family, business, short-term study (course of up to 6 months), paid permitted engagement (the engagement must be in the first 30 days of your visit), transit through the UK, come to the UK for up ot 3 months as a creative worker).
Worth mentioning too, is that you don’t need to have a print-out of it with you when you travel.
Conclusion
The process ran very smoothly and without any hitch. You don’t need to be too tech savvy to manage it from the app.