🛂 Travel & Immigration

UK ETA: Who Needs Britain’s Electronic Travel Authorisation and When to Renew

Updated July 26, 2026

Unlike Europe’s still-unlaunched ETIAS, the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation is already fully in force. If you visit the United Kingdom without a visa — as Americans, Canadians, Australians, EU citizens, and most other visa-free nationals do — you need an approved ETA before you board. Airlines check it at departure, and it covers the UK plus Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man.

The ETA is cheap and fast to get, which is exactly why it is easy to mishandle: it quietly expires after two years (or sooner, if your passport does), and because it is stored electronically with no stamp or card, nothing reminds you it exists until check-in refuses you. Here is how the scheme works and how to stay ahead of the renewal.

Who needs a UK ETA

You need an ETA if you are visiting the UK for short stays and you neither need a visa nor already hold UK immigration permission. That covers tourists, business visitors, people visiting family, and airside transit passengers from visa-exempt countries — the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and, since 2025, European nationals as well.

You do not need an ETA if you are a British or Irish citizen (including dual citizens), if you hold a UK visa, or if you have existing UK immigration status such as settled status or a work or study permission. Legal residents of Ireland entering from within the Common Travel Area are also exempt. If you are unsure, gov.uk has a checker — but the safe assumption for a visa-free tourist is: you need one.

Cost, validity, and what an ETA lets you do

An ETA costs £20, applied for through the official UK ETA app or on gov.uk. Most applications are decided quickly — usually within a few days at most — but the Home Office advises applying before you book travel. Beware lookalike websites that charge markups for the same application; the only extra thing they provide is a worse price.

Once approved, an ETA is valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Within that window you can travel to the UK as many times as you like, staying up to six months per visit. An ETA is permission to travel, not a guarantee of entry — a border officer makes the final decision, same as before the scheme existed.

Fee: £20 per person, including children and infants
Valid two years, or until the linked passport expires — whichever is sooner
Unlimited trips; each stay up to six months
Covers the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man

The passport trap: new passport, new ETA

Your ETA is electronically linked to the exact passport you applied with, and you must travel on that same passport. Renew your passport — even years before the ETA’s two-year mark — and the ETA becomes useless: you have to apply and pay again with the new document. There is no transfer process.

This is the single most common way travelers get caught out. The two-year clock and your passport’s ten-year clock run independently, and whichever ends first takes the ETA with it. When you renew a passport, add “new UK ETA” to the same to-do list as updating Global Entry and airline profiles.

Renewal: no reminders are coming, so make your own

The UK does not mail you a renewal notice, and there is nothing physical in your wallet to glance at. An expired ETA surfaces at the worst moment: at online check-in or the departure gate, where the airline is obliged to verify your authorization before letting you board. Reapplying takes minutes, but approval is not guaranteed to be instant — cutting it close is a genuine risk to the trip.

The fix is boring and effective: the day your ETA is approved, note the expiry date (two years out, or your passport expiry if sooner) and set a reminder against it. If you visit the UK regularly, a recurring two-year reminder means each renewal happens calmly at home instead of frantically at an airport.

Frequently asked questions

Do US citizens need an ETA to visit the UK?

Yes. US citizens visiting the UK without a visa need an approved Electronic Travel Authorisation before travel. It costs £20, is applied for via the official UK ETA app or gov.uk, and covers unlimited visits of up to six months each for two years.

How long is a UK ETA valid?

Two years from approval, or until the passport you applied with expires — whichever comes first. You can travel to the UK as many times as you want while it is valid.

Do I need a new ETA if I get a new passport?

Yes. An ETA is linked to the specific passport used in the application, and you must travel on that passport. A renewed or replaced passport requires a new ETA application and a new £20 fee, regardless of how much validity the old ETA had left.

How much does a UK ETA cost?

An ETA costs £20 per person when applied for through the official UK ETA app or gov.uk. Children and infants need their own ETA at the same price. Third-party websites charge more for the identical application — there is no benefit to using them.

Official sources