UK ETA 2026: who needs it, fee, processing time and traps

The UK ETA is not a visa. It is an electronic travel authorisation, costing GBP 20, that 83 nationalities must obtain before boarding for the United Kingdom. You apply online, it is usually granted within a day, and within three business days at most, and it stays valid for two years, for stays of up to six months.

But the first question is not how to get one. It is whether you need one at all. For a large share of this site's readers the answer is no, and the sites that sell ETAs are in no hurry to say so.

The UK ETA applies to 83 nationalities, including Mauritius and Seychelles from Africa; the visitor-visa nationalities (more than 110), such as Senegal or Morocco, do not need one, and Irish citizens need neither an ETA nor a visitor visa.

The United Kingdom sorts travellers into three groups, and only one of them needs an ETA.

The 83 ETA nationalities. Mostly western and central Europe, North America, part of Latin America, the Gulf states and part of East Asia. From Latin America: Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Mexico, Panama, Peru, Paraguay and Uruguay. From Africa, only two: Mauritius and Seychelles.

The visitor-visa nationalities (more than 110). Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire, Cameroon, Mali, Burkina Faso, Benin, Togo, Niger, Chad, Gabon, Congo, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Egypt need a Standard Visitor visa, not an ETA. In Latin America, so do Ecuador, Colombia, Bolivia, Venezuela, the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Haiti.

For those nationalities, applying for an ETA achieves nothing and the fee is not refunded. A Standard Visitor visa is required, filed through a visa application centre with biometrics.

The exemption. Irish citizens, under the Common Travel Area, need neither an ETA nor a visitor visa. Ukrainians, by contrast, are on the British list of visitor-visa nationalities.

If you are unsure which group applies to you, your nationality's page on this site says so in one line (see the United Kingdom page), and the official British page is the authority.

The UK ETA costs GBP 20 (GBP 16 before), is usually granted within one day and within three business days at most, and stays valid for two years for stays of up to six months.

The official fee is GBP 20 (GBP 16 before), non-refundable, paid to the British government when you apply. It is the only mandatory amount: there is no file fee, no centre fee and no appointment to pay for, since everything happens online.

A decision usually comes within one day, and within three business days at most. That is not a commitment: an application can take longer when it needs further review, which is why the British government advises applying at least three working days before travel. The same rule of thumb applies as for any entry document: do not book non-refundable travel before the authorisation is granted.

Once granted, the ETA is valid for two years (or until the passport expires, if sooner) and allows stays of up to six months per entry. It is linked electronically to the passport used to apply: renew that passport before the two years are up and you need a new one.

Do not confuse these three durations. Two years is how long the authorisation lasts. Six months is the longest single stay. Three business days is the maximum processing time. Mixing up validity and permitted stay is the most common mistake on this kind of authorisation.

The UK ETA is applied for online only, on the official form or in the dedicated app, with the passport you will travel on, a face photo, an email address and a means of paying the GBP 20 fee.

The application is online only, on the official British portal or in the dedicated app. There is no counter, no paper file and no appointment.

You need the passport you will travel on, a face photo taken to the form's instructions, an email address and a means of payment. Answer every question honestly and carefully: a rejected application is not refunded and must be made again.

The authorisation arrives by email. It is linked to the passport, so in principle nothing needs printing, but keeping a copy of the email costs nothing and saves a conversation at boarding.

The main UK ETA trap is the intermediary website charging more than the GBP 20 government fee: the only official entry point is gov.uk, and an ETA authorises boarding, not entry.

Intermediary websites. Searching for "UK ETA" surfaces third-party sites that charge more than the British government for the same procedure, and the government states that you cannot get a faster decision by applying through another website or app. The only official entry point is the British government domain, and there is no other.

An ETA is not a right of entry. It authorises boarding. The admission decision belongs to the border officer, who may ask for a return ticket, an address or proof of funds. Holding an ETA does not remove the need to have those ready.

The purpose of the trip matters. The ETA covers tourism, family visits, transit through UK passport control and certain other short-stay reasons. It covers neither paid work in the UK, nor long studies, nor settlement. Each of those needs a different document.

Passport validity. The passport must be valid for the whole stay, and it is the passport that carries the authorisation. A renewed passport breaks the link with the previous ETA.

Nationalities not eligible for the UK ETA must apply for a Standard Visitor visa, online and then at an application centre for biometrics, at a cost far beyond the GBP 20 ETA fee.

That is not bad news, just a different procedure. The Standard Visitor visa is also filed online, then completed with an appointment at an application centre for biometrics. Expect a fuller file, longer processing and a cost far beyond the ETA fee.

Your nationality's page for the United Kingdom, on this site, gives the regime that applies to you, the permitted length of stay and the official links. It is the safest starting point, and it saves paying for an authorisation that does not concern you.

The amounts, processing times and nationality lists in this guide come from the official British pages, read on 28 October 2026: https://www.gov.uk/eta/apply (fee, processing time, validity), https://www.gov.uk/guidance/check-when-you-can-get-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta (ETA nationalities) and https://www.gov.uk/guidance/immigration-rules/immigration-rules-appendix-visitor-visa-national-list (visa nationalities). The application form is at https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta. This information changes, and the official source always prevails over this page.