An Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) is a new travel requirement for EU nationals (including both freight drivers and passengers) who are travelling to the UK for a short period of time. 

While non-EU travellers (who don’t need a visa for short stays) are already expected to apply for an ETA before arriving in the UK, the control is now applicable to EU nationals.

When you do not need an ETA

You do not need an ETA to travel to the UK if:

• you’re a British or Irish citizen
• you have a UK visa
• you have permission to live, work or study in the UK (including settled or pre-settled status or right of abode)
• you’re travelling with a British overseas territories citizen passport
• you’re travelling with a British National (Overseas) passport
• you live in Ireland and you’re travelling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
• you’re exempt from immigration control or do not need to get permission to enter

Dual citizens

If you’re a dual citizen with British or Irish citizenship, you cannot get an ETA. When you travel to the UK you’ll need to prove your citizenship using:

• a valid British passport
• a valid Irish passport
• another valid passport containing a certificate of entitlement

If you live in Ireland

You do not need an ETA if you’re both:

• from a country that would normally need an ETA to travel to the UK
• entering the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man

If you’re from a country that needs a visa, you’ll need to apply for a visa before travelling to the UK.

Check if you need a UK visa or ETA.

What documents you’ll need to bring

If you’re 16 or older, you’ll need to bring one of the following:

• Irish driving licence
• Irish learner permit
• medical card
• GP visit card
• European Health Insurance Card
• Irish Residence Permit
• Permanent Residence Certificate
• National Age Card
• diplomatic identity card

The document must be:

• an original
• issued by the Irish government
• valid at the time you travel

If you’re under 16, you do not need to bring proof you live in Ireland.

More information is available on the Gov.uk ETA website.

Applying for an ETA

How much does an ETA cost?

The application for an ETA costs £16 and can be completed by yourself or somebody else.

Once the application has been made, you will not be able to request a refund.

What do you need to apply for an ETA? 

You’ll need a photo of:

• the passport
• the face of the person applying
• A payment method(debit card, credit card, Google Pay or Apple Pay
• Access to your email inbox

You will not need to provide travel details during your application.

How do you apply for an ETA?

You can apply for an ETA for yourself or on someone else’s behalf via the GOV.UK website. 

If you are applying for yourself, you may choose to use the ETA app instead.

You can access (and learn more about) the web tool or the app.

What happens after you apply?

You’ll get a decision by email from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), usually within a day. The email will contain your 16 digit ETA reference number.

Contact UKVI if you haven’t had a decision after 3 working days.

You may get decisions at different times to other people you applied for.

Your ETA will be linked to the passport you applied with. You only need to show your passport when you travel to the UK.

Important

ETA is an important legal document, so it is worth knowing the following:

1. If you receive an ETA and you get a new passport within the 2 year period that the ETA is valid, you will need to apply for a new ETA
2. An ETA is not enough to guarantee you entry to the UK. You will still need to either be accepted by Border Force, or to use an ePassport gate.

What is an ETIAS?

This is the EU travel authorisation which will be introduced late 2026.

The new requirement, ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System), will be a mandatory requirement for visa-exempt nationals (including GB nationals) travelling to the EU. Find out more about ETIAS on our blog.

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