United Kingdom e-Visa for citizens of Spain: online application, fees and processing time 2026

An ETA, not a visa. Spanish citizens do not need a visa to visit the UK as a tourist, but since 2025 they must first obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). This is a digital permission linked electronically to your passport, to be requested online before you leave. The ETA covers tourism, visiting family or friends, a short business trip or transit, for stays of up to 6 months. It does not grant the right to work or to settle in the UK.

• Government fee20 GBP
• Agency or online serviceOptional, added on top

To complete your ETA application, have ready a valid passport (the ETA is tied to that specific passport), a photo of your face taken as instructed by the app, an email address and a means of payment (bank card). A fee applies: check GOV.UK for the exact amount in force at the time you apply. Travel with the same passport you used to apply, because that is the document that "carries" your authorisation.

You apply online only, before you travel, through the official "UK ETA" app (available on smartphone) or on the GOV.UK website. The process is quick: you scan your passport, take a photo of your face, answer a few questions and pay the fee by card. Once granted, the ETA is linked electronically to your passport number, there is no sticker or paper document to print. Always use the official GOV.UK channel: third-party websites charge unnecessary extra fees.

The regime follows your nationality, not where you live. If you reside in Spain but travel on another country's passport, the rule on this page is not yours. Filing usually still happens from your country of residence, at the post competent for it, but the requirement itself comes from your passport.

Apply for your ETA before you firm up your travel booking, or at the very least well ahead of your departure date, to allow time for processing. Many decisions come through quickly, but an application can take longer in some cases: do not count on doing it at the last minute at the airport. Once granted, the ETA is valid for multiple trips over roughly 2 years, or until your passport expires if that comes first. While the ETA is valid you can return several times without reapplying, with each stay still limited to 6 months.

First confusion: thinking an ETA is a visa. It is not, it is simply a pre-authorisation, and the border officer still decides on your admission on arrival. Second mistake: assuming one ETA covers the whole family. Every traveller needs their own ETA, including babies and children, each with their own passport. Third pitfall: mixing up the UK ETA with the EU's ETIAS. They are two separate systems, the ETA is for entering the UK, ETIAS will apply to the Schengen area; holding one does not exempt you from the other.