What is the UK ETA?

The ETA is not a visa, but a travel authorisation allowing travellers who do not need a visa to travel to the United Kingdom. The United Kingdom is composed by four nations: England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Until recently, travellers with passports from EU countries were still allowed to travel to the UK without a visa. Since 2 April 2025, all travellers wishing to travel to England, Scotland, Wales and/or Northern Ireland will have to apply for an ETA UK. This also applies to travellers with EU passports. Holders of passports issued by the UK, residents of Ireland and holders of Irish passports are exempt from the ETA requirement.

The abbreviation ETA stands for Electronic Travel Authorisation. The ETA England is a travel authorisation for the UK. This means that it is not necessary to apply at the embassy or the consulate. From 2 April 2025, the ETA is mandatory for all European travellers. You can easily apply for your ETA online via e-Visa.co.uk. You don't need to download any app for this.

Why has the United Kingdom introduced an ETA?
In recent years, several countries have introduced electronic travel authorisations. Applications for these electronic travel authorisations are processed online. In some cases, these online systems are a replacement for traditional visas issued by embassies and consulates. In other cases, electronic travel authorisations are an addition to traditional visas. This is also the case of the UK ETA, the travel authorisation that is now mandatory for people who were previously allowed to travel to the UK without a visa. The overall aim of electronic travel authorisations is to better screen all arriving travellers, and thus improve the security of international travel. Since the United Kingdom has left the European Union, travellers from most European countries also have to apply for an ETA to travel to the United Kingdom as of 2 April 2025.

Validity period of the ETA UK

The UK ETA is valid for 2 years, starting from the moment the application is approved. This does not mean that you can stay in the United Kingdom for 2 years. Each stay in the UK with an ETA may not exceed 6 consecutive months. You are free to travel between England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland during each stay, but you may not spend more than 6 consecutive months in the UK in total.

The ETA UK allows multiple trips to the United Kingdom. This means that you can travel to the four nations in the UK as often as you wish. As mentioned above, each stay may last a maximum of six consecutive months.

The ETA is generally valid for 2 years. However, the validity period of your ETA can expire earlier, e.g. if your passport expires within 2 years after receiving the ETA. If this happens, you must first apply for a new passport. You can then apply for a new ETA with your new passport. Your ETA can also be cancelled, for instance if you do not fill in the application form truthfully or if you (no longer) meet all the ETA requirements.

Requirements of the UK ETA

In order to apply for an UK ETA, applicants must fulfill a number of requirements. The ETA UK is available to nationals of countries that could previously travel to the UK without a visa. Travellers with an EU passport can, since 5 March 2025, apply for an ETA to travel to the United Kingdom from 2 April 2025. This is also the case for Swiss nationals and travellers from a certain non-EU countries. Nothing will change for travellers who already had to apply for a UK visa. They are not eligible for the ETA, thus they still have to apply for a visa to travel to the UK.

Besides the requirement concerning the traveller's nationality, there is also a requirement related to the purpose of the trip. If you want to apply for an ETA UK, your travel purpose must fall under one of the following categories:

• Tourism (includes visiting friends and/or family)
• Business
• Study
• Transfer (except at London and Manchester airports)

Apply for the UK ETA online

You can easily apply online for a UK ETA to travel to England, Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland. You can do it through this website, without having to download an application. The application procedure takes place entirely online. There is no need to go to the embassy or consulate. To apply for the ETA for the United Kingdom you need to fill in an online application form, pay the fees and upload the required documents. Once this is done, your application will be processed in 3 days on average. If you need an ETA urgently, you'd better submit an urgent application. Urgent applications are processed on average in 60 minutes