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

After 3 days and attempting to manually enter multiple cards, I finally put one of my cards in Google Wallet and used the Google Pay option. That went through with no issues. I'm not sure why direct pay to the card company doesn't work. All the card companies said they failed to receive an amount or a security code, and that's the reason it was declined. for whatever reason the Google Pay got the right info and was able to get that to the credit card company. Very frustrating process.

Very easy to use on my Android device with cards in my Google Wallet. I entered my personal info, took a photo of my passport, and confirmed passport details by connecting to the chip using the Phones NFC capabilities. Then took a scan and a photo, following directions. My approval arrived via email a few minutes later. They are very clear that it can sometimes take longer.

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.

What's new

Performance improvements