16 Jan More countries now eligible for an ETA application
An Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is an advance travel permission required for specified non-visa nationals traveling to the UK. This includes visitors, individuals transiting through the UK, and Creative Workers entering the UK under paragraph CRV 3.2 of Appendix Temporary Work – Creative Worker.
Applicants can apply online using the UK ETA app, and it costs £10 per application. They will need to upload their passport and a photo of their face to provide the necessary identity information.
What you can do with an ETA
-You can get an ETA instead of a visa if you are:
-coming to the UK for up to 6 months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or short-term study
-coming to the UK for up to 3 months on the Creative Worker visa concession
-coming to the UK for a permitted paid engagement
-transiting through the UK – including if you are not going through UK border control
If you are coming to the UK for another reason, check if you need a visa instead.
What you cannot do with an ETA
You cannot:
-stay in the UK for longer than 6 months
-do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless you are doing a permitted paid engagement or event or work on the Creative Worker visa concession
-claim public funds (benefits)
-live in the UK through frequent or successive visits
-marry or register a civil partnership, or give notice of marriage or civil partnership – you will need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa
Updates to the ETA national list
On 2 January 2025, the Home Office released an update to the Appendix ETA National List.
The ETA requirement initially launched on 15 November 2023, targeting Qatari nationals. It was later expanded in February 2024 to include nationals from Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.
As of 8 January 2025, an additional 48 countries were added to the ETA National List, significantly broadening its scope. The newly included nations are:
- Antigua and Barbuda
- Argentina
- Australia
- Barbados
- Belize
- Botswana
- Brazil
- Brunei
- Canada
- Chile
- Costa Rica
- Grenada
- Guatemala
- Guyana
- Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (including British National [Overseas])
- Israel
- Japan
- Kiribati
- Macao Special Administrative Region
- Malaysia
- Maldives
- Marshall Islands
- Mauritius
- Mexico
- Federated States of Micronesia
- Nauru
- New Zealand
- Nicaragua
- Palau
- Panama
- Papua New Guinea
- Paraguay
- Peru
- St Kitts and Nevis
- St Lucia
- St Vincent and the Grenadines
- Samoa
- Seychelles
- Singapore
- Solomon Islands
- South Korea
- Taiwan
- The Bahamas
- Tonga
- Trinidad and Tobago
- Tuvalu
- United States
- Uruguay
The ETA application process will open on 5 March 2025 for European nationals, for travel to the UK on or after 2 April 2025. The full list can be found here.
Changes for Jordanian nationals
Jordan, originally included in the Appendix ETA National List, was removed on 10 September 2024 and is now listed under the Appendix Visitor: Visa National List. This means Jordanian nationals must apply for a visa before traveling to the UK.
If the ETA application is refused
The ETA application will be refused if the applicant fails to meet the eligibility requirements. In that case, they will need to apply for a visa to enter the UK, such as a visitor or transit visa. If you applied for an ETA under the Creative Worker visa concession, you will need to apply for a Temporary Work – Creative Worker visa instead.
Contact Our Immigration Team
For expert advice regarding any aspect of the UK visa application, please contact our immigration team on 0203 384 3075
