How to Handle Uk Eta Application Online

Online application, decision and exemption guidance reviewed against GOV.UK on 14 October 2026. We cannot submit, retrieve or accelerate your application.

Before opening the form

Use GOV.UK's visa checker to establish whether ETA is the right route. A passport requiring a visa does not become ETA-eligible because the online form is cheaper. Existing UK permission and nationality exemptions may mean no ETA is needed.

Airside transit without UK border control is exempt from ETA. A transit visa can still be required. Confirm the connection and documents rather than buying permission simply because the journey includes Heathrow.

Choose the official app or online route

Begin at GOV.UK Apply for an ETA, which links to both official routes. If the app cannot be downloaded on your phone, use the online form. Both official routes charge the same application fee.

You can apply for someone else in the app if they are with you. If they are not with you, GOV.UK says to apply online. This is not proof of a single family application: each traveller needs individual permission where required.

Prepare the documents and photos

Have the travel passport, a working email address and an accepted payment method ready. For an online application, GOV.UK requires a passport photo and a photo of the applicant's face, following the linked digital-photo rules.

Follow the current form prompts and compare the details with the document. Do not use a field-by-field reconstruction from an older article as if it were the live form. Do not invent a hotel booking, a flight number or an answer merely because a blog says every application requires it.

If another person is helping, check the applicant's details separately. Use only the official service for passport information; do not post documents or decision emails in public comments.

Answer accurately and review before payment

Read the actual suitability and nationality questions carefully. Answer truthfully according to their wording. An article cannot tell you to omit a conviction or guarantee what effect a particular answer will have.

British and Irish dual citizens cannot get an ETA. Check official citizenship and exemption guidance before trying to apply on another passport.

Review the application before submitting. The official fee is GBP 20 and is not refundable after application. Other websites may add a service charge; they cannot secure a faster government decision.

After submitting: wait for permission

GOV.UK says decisions usually arrive by email within a day but can take up to three working days. Do not turn that into a guarantee of approval in minutes or 72 calendar hours. Different members of a party can receive decisions at different times.

Wait for the email confirming your ETA before travelling. If three working days pass without a decision, check junk folders and follow the official UKVI help link. A close departure date or another payment does not create a priority decision.

Existing permission is not pending-application tracking

GOV.UK Check your ETA verifies existing permission and expiry using the application passport. It cannot track a recent application that has not yet resulted in an ETA.

Do not interpret a receipt, a missing email or an unsuccessful lookup as approval or refusal. Use the relevant official support route if the situation is unresolved.

Errors, rejection and refusal

The application guidance says that changing submitted details requires another application and fee. Follow official instructions for the actual error; do not assume an address or a passport number can be edited afterwards.

A suitability refusal is not the same as an incomplete or rejected application. Read the notice. If refused and still intending to travel, check the appropriate visa route rather than treating a corrected form as guaranteed approval. The caseworker guidance provides no right to administrative review or appeal of an ETA application decision.

Prepare for the journey

Travel with the passport linked to the ETA. A new passport requires a new ETA when an ETA is needed. Permission generally lasts two years or until passport expiry, whichever is earlier; this is not permission for a two-year stay.

An approved ETA does not guarantee admission. Check the permitted activity rules separately from the application process.

Key takeaways

• Use GOV.UK's official online or app links and the actual form instructions.
• Check eligibility and exemptions before paying.
• Allow working days and wait for the approval email.
• The existing-ETA checker does not track a pending application.
• Airside ETA exemption and transit visas are separate questions.

See our decision and existing-status guide and transit guide. This is general information; verify current official guidance for your own circumstances.