We travel to London in just over three weeks. We accidentally applied for ETAs through a third-party service called iVisa. We were sent PDF documents that say they are from GOV.UK, but this would be very easy to fake. I've tried for a week to find a site that lets me verify the reference numbers we were given, to know avail. Does anyone no how to do this? I tried the UK.GOV site, but I can only find places to verify the type of visa for living, studying, etc., and not the ETA. Thank you.
Posted by
Virginia
1064 posts
Go to this link https://homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-factsheet-april-2025/
Scroll to the bottom of the page where it says,
What do people do if they apply through a fraudulent website?
People should visit the official GOV.UK website to find more information about applying for an ETA.
Anyone can report suspected internet immigration scams through our internet scams tool on GOV.UK
People can verify if they hold a valid ETA or if their application has been received using our ETA Webchat
Try using the link for their webchat and see if that will get you an answer.
Posted by
Salem, Oregon, USA
3344 posts
And if you do try using the webchat, keep in mind the time difference from where you live to the UK as I don't believe you can request to chat with a live agent outside UK business hours.
Posted by
2 posts
Th link was no help. Trying to find a site for verifying that you have an ETA is impossible because there are dozens of non-UK affiliated sites that the UK allows to charge whatever they want or purport to be able to solve the problem. I applied for the ETA and my credit card was charged but then I started worrying about not having any hard copy to prove I did all that. Does anyone know how I can verify that I actually have an ETA so I don't get to London and find I don't. I never got any e,mails saying I was successful and all I have is a charge on my credit statement.
Posted by
Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, USA
15906 posts
@winnick, If you don't want to use the web chat suggested in the first reply, is there a support contact for the company you used to purchase your ETA?
Posted by
Singapore
942 posts
"Does anyone know how I can verify that I actually have an ETA so I don't get to London and find I don't. I never got any e,mails saying I was successful and all I have is a charge on my credit statement."
You're not going to get to London and find you don't- the airline can see when you check in whether or not you have an ETA, and if not will likely decline boarding.
If you didn't get am email confirming, that is a concern.
Your options are either:
1. Use the web chat
2. Apply through the official site
It's not that the UK Government allows these unofficial sites to operate- there's not a lot they can do about it. There are many warnings out there to stick to the official "gov.uk" domain.
Posted by
Canada
8 posts
There are also plenty of legitimate third party sites that operate as ‘concierge’ services and arrange ETAs and similar travel authorizations/documents for a fee. I’m not familiar with ivisa, but Sherpa is a good example. Reddit seems to suggest ivisa is another of these services, but I’m not familiar with it myself.
Worst case, you could apply through the official site/app at the airport if you needed to, as the rules state that you must have applied before your trip, you don’t have to have been approved yet.
Some may feel that these third party services are ‘scams’ but there are travellers who find this kind of paperwork confusing or frustrating and who benefit from the hand-holding/services who do the thing for them, so there is a niche. Unfortunately, it sounds like you may have just paid extra for a service you didn’t need.