Travel authorization now required for the UK: Here’s a step-by-step guide to applying

As we’ve reported, you now need travel authorization to visit the United Kingdom. The British call it an Electronic Travel Authorisation.

The application for Americans and other nationalities opened back in November for travel beginning in the new year, and several of us at TPG have already gone through the process.

Overall, there are a few things to watch out for, but it’s fairly straightforward — and you should be able to follow these instructions for a painless application process.

Download the UK ETA app

As the U.K. government website notes, the easiest way to apply is through the official government app, available on iOS and Android.

Be sure to only apply through the gov.uk website or the official app — other sites will “help” you apply but will charge you unnecessary fees. The ETA should only cost 10 British pounds (about $13).

Note that if you cannot access the app for any reason, you can apply online. But in my case, I simply downloaded the app and applied right on my phone.

Once you open the app, it will then walk you through the process. First, you’ll need to submit an email and verify it with a six-digit code.

Once you’ve verified your phone number and email, you can move on to the trickier part.

Using the app to photograph and scan your passport

The next step is where some people get tripped up. You’ll need to use the app to photograph your passport and then scan for the chip in your passport.

That gold symbol on the front of the passport above means a microchip is embedded inside. (Don’t worry if your passport doesn’t have a biometric chip or you can’t get it to scan; you can still get a travel authorization, but you’ll need to do it online via the link provided earlier.)

Once you are done photographing your passport, the images in the app ask you to move your phone up and down over the front cover to scan the electronic chip.

That didn’t work at first for me. It didn’t work at first for my colleague Lyndsey Matthews when she applied earlier this month either.

“That was the trickiest part,” Lyndsey said. “I finally got it to scan properly after four failed attempts. Pro tip: Take the case off your cellphone.”

Thankfully, the app will at least tell you if it can’t find the chip.

For me, it finally worked when I held my phone over the back of my passport. Apparently, in many U.S. passports, the electronic chip is actually inside the back cover, not the front.

Taking a photo for the travel authorization

Next, you’ll need to scan your face to prove you are a human and then take a passport-style photo.

Note that you’ll need a plain white background with no shadows. That trips a lot of folks up.

“I had to retake it three times to ensure no shadows were on my face and that the background was plain white,” Lyndsey said. 

I also had to retake my photo several times to get one to work. Some users report that turning on a selfie flash helps a great deal, too, though I didn’t end up needing to go that far because I had direct sunlight on my face.

Answer a series of questions to complete the UK travel authorization application

While you won’t need to fill out any details about any upcoming trips, the app will ask for your home address, what you do for work and whether you’ve been convicted or suspected of any crimes.

Payment for UK travel authorization

Next comes the payment screen. As you can see below, I ended up paying $12.73 for my application.

“I used Apple Pay through my Bilt Mastercard® and was charged $12.97,” Lyndsey said. “You can also pay with Google Pay or a credit or debit card. Because I used my Bilt Mastercard on Feb. 1, I earned a Rent Day bonus of double the points on the application fee.”

Note: Bilt cardholders must use the card five times each statement period to earn points (see rewards and benefits).

Once you’ve completed your payment, the app will display a successful application message with an ETA reference number.

Most users should receive their authorization within minutes, but the U.K. government warns it can take up to three business days to obtain clearance, so it might be better to err on the side of caution and apply well ahead of your trip.

I got an email right away confirming my application was pending — and, one minute later, another email saying I’d been approved.

My colleagues Tanner Saunders and Lyndsay Matthews also received emails with their approvals in about three minutes. Look for emails from the UK Visas and Immigration Home Office to track your application.

“Since ETAs are linked to the passport you apply with, I didn’t have to print anything,” Lyndsey said. “When I landed at Heathrow, I proceeded through the ePassport gate like usual and was out of Terminal 3 to catch the Heathrow Express within five minutes.”

The travel authorization is good for two years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner. You can also travel to the U.K. as many times as you want on the same ETA.

Bottom line

The application process for the new U.K. travel authorization is fairly painless if you have a passing familiarity with technology. The extra expense and steps for visiting the U.K. may be annoying, but predictions of long lines and travel chaos at ports of entry have so far been overblown.

Hopefully, when the European Union rolls out its own version sometime in 2025, it will be equally straightforward.

Related reading:

• 15 places you need a visa or ETA to travel to with an American passport
• Brazil delays visa requirement for Americans once again
• 9 types of cards you should pack for your next trip abroad
• How to avoid overpaying for a travel visa on an airline website

See Bilt Mastercard rates and fees here.
See Bilt Mastercard rewards and benefits here.