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.

If you need to travel soon
You must apply for an ETA before you travel to the UK. You can travel to the UK while waiting for a decision.

After you apply
You'll usually get a decision within 3 working days, but you may get a quicker decision. Occasionally, it may take longer than 3 working days.
If your ETA is approved, we'll link this to the passport you applied with. You must use this passport to 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

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.

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.

As others have commented, this app did not want to take card even though my card was one that was listed as you could use. After several tries, I had to install Google pay in order to pay. App itself was easy for scanning passport, chip, face and answering questions. Just need to fix pay problem. Received approved ETA in about 3 hours from submission.

What’s new

Performance improvements