Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

For those of you with EU/EEAEEA The European Economic Area (EEA) consists of the 27 EU Member States as well as Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway. The United Kingdom is not part of the EEA. (excluding Irish) spouses, partners, children and friends, there is an important date coming up on 2^nd April 2025. From that date onwards most non-British/Irish travellers to the UK will need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This is a similar scheme to the US ESTA or Australian ETA.

Please note, some non-EU/EEA nationalities may already need to apply (see the .GOV.UK website for further details)

Exemptions

You do not need an ETA if:

You are a British or Irish Citizen
You have permission to live, work or study in the UK (including settled or pre-settled status or right of abode). For those with settled or pre-settled status it is recommended to take printed proof of this with you when entering the UK
You are travelling with a British Overseas Territories citizen passport
You have a UK visa
You are transiting through a UK airport and you will not pass through border control – check with your airline if you are not sure
You live in Ireland and you are travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
You are a child travelling on the France-UK school trip travel information form

When can I apply?

Austrian nationals as well as a number of other EU/EEA nationalities can apply for this from 5^th March 2025.

How much does it cost?

From 9 April 2025, it will cost £16.

Officially it can take around 3 working days to be approved and lasts 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner. Anecdotally approvals seem to be a lot quicker.

Dual Citizenship

For those with dual citizenship (i.e. British and something else), you may be advised to enter the details of your British Passport on your UK bound flight (Carrier details) AND make sure to enter the UK on your British passport.

The UK Home Office advice (see blog below) is that British Citizens travel on a valid British passport to avoid delays. Alternatively British dual citizens can evidence their citizenship in another passport by obtaining a Certificate of Entitlement (cost £550).

There is currently nothing explicitly stating that Dual Nationals cannot obtain an ETA (Cost £16 from 9th April 2025), although the Home Office have advised (see blog) that this may change in the future.

Apps

There are official apps in the Google and Apple app stores (see links below), but the apps can only be used by you or someone physically with you at the time you apply as a photo will need to be taken..

Warning

Please only use official .GOV.UK websites and/or official apps to register for ETA. Fake processing websites or providers offering express services for an additional fee may appear as the system launches.