UK ETA

UK Visas and Immigration

About this app

Use the UK ETA app to apply for an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to come to the UK.

Who can apply
Find out if you need an ETA to travel to the UK at: https://www.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation.

How to apply on the UK ETA app
1. Take a photo of your passport.
2. Scan the chip in your passport.
3. Scan your face.
4. Take a photo of yourself.
5. Answer some questions about yourself.
6. Pay for your application.

It should only take 10 minutes to apply.

You do not need to enter your travel details.

Before you start

To apply you will need:
• Android 12 and above
• NFC (Near-Field Communication) so the app can scan your passport – if you can use your phone to pay for things using contactless, this means it has NFC
• the passport you will use to travel to the UK
• a credit card, debit card or Apple Pay
• access to your emails

If you're applying for someone else they must be with you. If they are not, you should apply online at: https://www.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation.

After you apply
You’ll get a decision by email from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), usually within a day. Allow up to 3 working days (Monday to Friday) to get a decision, but it may arrive much sooner.

The email will contain your 16 digit ETA reference number.

You must wait until you get an email confirming you have an ETA before you travel to the UK.

If you have not received a decision after 3 working days, check your spam or junk email folder before contacting UKVI.

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.


Privacy and security
The app is safe and secure. No information is stored on the app or your phone after you close it. You can delete the app after you have completed your application.

For information on staying safe online visit the UK Cyber Aware website: https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/cyberaware/home

Accessibility
You can read our accessibility statement at: https://confirm-your-identity.homeoffice.gov.uk/register/eta-app-accessibility

Ratings and reviews

So, the app is pretty clean and works well with 1 exception (payment). I had no problems scanning my e-passport or taking photos. (Much better than Facebook verification for instance). Data entry is pretty clean and well laid out. The problem I had was paying with Google Pay which basically got stuck with spinning icons for many minutes. Had to kill the app and start again because of that.

Really shite app. Anytime it fails to do a task it will revert you back to start the app again. This wouldn't be an issue if the app doesn't lock you out for 3 hours when you have too many attempts. Luckily, you can still submit via online. But I really hope they don't get rid of the online portion. Also, the bioscan on the passport is usually in the portrait photo. I checked into a flight for SAS and found that one out. :/

Very basic interface, with some major technological glitches. The face scanning and photo taking functions failed, not to mention the shutter button was under the "cancel" button on the Android Galaxy. There was lag, and if you pressed too soon, you had to start over, with no saved progress, even the email verification. This app is basic, but would be OK if the glitches were fixed.

What’s new

Performance improvements