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Until January 8, 2025, U.S. citizens didn't need to do any special paperwork for a tourist trip to the United Kingdom. All you needed was a valid passport. But, as of this week, most U.S. citizens must apply for a U.K. Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or visa before traveling.
I'm heading to the United Kingdom later this month for the Up Helly Aa festival in the Shetland Islands. So, I learned about applying for a U.K. ETA as a U.S. citizen first-hand.
Here's how the process went for me — including some tips on how to make the application process as quick and easy as possible — and an overview of who needs to apply for a U.K. ETA.
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Do U.S. Citizens Need a U.K. ETA?
As of January 8, 2025, U.S. citizens now need an ETA to enter the United Kingdom when traveling on a U.S. passport — unless they:
- Have a visa for the United Kingdom
- Have permission to live, work, or study in the United Kingdom
- Are a British or Irish citizen, or are traveling on a British overseas territories citizen passport
- Live in Ireland and are traveling from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey, or the Isle of Man
An ETA is much quicker and easier to obtain than a visa. So if you're heading to the United Kingdom soon and none of the above apply, keep reading.
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What Can You Do With a U.K. ETA?
If you apply for and get a U.K. ETA as a U.S. citizen, you can visit the United Kingdom for up to six months if the reason for your visit is tourism, visiting family and friends, business, or short-term study.
You can also use a U.K. ETA to transit through the country, visit for a permitted paid engagement, or stay for up to three months on a creative worker visa concession.
However, you can't stay in the United Kingdom for longer than six months with a U.K. ETA, and you can't effectively live in the United Kingdom through frequent or successive visits.
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How Much Does a U.K. ETA for U.S. Citizens Cost?
It costs £10 (about $12) to apply for a U.K. ETA. However, you may need to pay in a different currency based on where you're applying from. When applying from the U.S., the conversion fee brought my cost to $13.07.
All travelers — including babies and children — must apply and pay the fee. However, you can apply for other people, so your baby won't need to complete its own ETA.
You can pay for a U.K. ETA with a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay. I used the Ink Business Preferred® Credit Card (which is my favorite travel card), while my wife used the Citi Strata Premier℠ Card.
But unfortunately, neither purchase earned bonus points as a travel purchase. Instead, the charge coded as “Services – Misc Government Services” on the Citi Strata Premier and “Government services” on the Ink Preferred.
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How Long Is a U.K. ETA Good For?
Once you have an approved U.K. ETA, it is valid for two years or until your passport expires. You can use the ETA to travel to the United Kingdom as many times as you wish within the period it is valid.
My Experience Applying for a U.K. ETA
You can apply for a U.K. ETA as a U.S. citizen through the U.K. ETA Apple or Google apps, or online. The U.K. government says the app is the fastest way to apply, and you're more likely to get a faster decision when applying via the app.
My wife tried the app and said it took less than 10 minutes to apply — including the time for her to download the app from the Google Play store. It took a while for her phone to successfully scan her passport's chip, but she otherwise found it easy to use the app. She received a “We are processing your ETA application” immediately after she applied and an “ETA application approved” email one minute later.
To see if the app was actually faster, I applied online. The first step was to enter my email address.
The system sent a six-digit security code to my email in a message titled “Your ETA security code.” The email went to my Updates inbox in Gmail. After entering the code, the next step was to take or upload a photo of my passport.
After confirming my passport information, the next step was to use the camera on my computer to scan my face. Luckily, this step is optional since I wasn't able to successfully scan my face.
I moved to the next step: uploading a recent picture of myself. The U.K. system accepted my photo despite the terrible lighting.
Once I confirmed I wanted to use the photo I uploaded, I entered my phone number and home address. I also needed to declare any other nationalities I have (or have had in the past), my job, whether I've had any criminal convictions, and whether I've been involved in war crimes, terrorism, or extremism.
After checking the information I entered and confirming it, I continued to the payment step. After paying, I immediately received an email that my U.K. ETA application was processing. Then, 16 minutes later, I received an approval email.
It took me about 20 minutes to apply online, which is notably longer than it took my wife to apply via the app. As such, I recommend you apply via the app if possible.
Our Take
Applying for a U.K. ETA as a U.S. citizen is an annoying extra step ahead of your next visit to the United Kingdom. However, the cost is a modest $13, and the ETA lasts for two years (or until your passport expires).
I recommend using the app to apply for your U.K. ETA if possible since the process is much quicker and more convenient through the app. Plus, it seems you're more likely to be approved quickly when using the app.
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