Hello! I was just reviewing my airfare as we are leaving for Scotland May 28 and American Airlines said I needed an ETA to visit the UK. I’ve never read this before. Does anyone know if I need to apply for this? Thanks!
Posted by
S.F Bay Area (Marin)
304 posts
Yes,you need to do this.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta
Posted by
Green Bay
22343 posts
Yes you do. Have your credit card handy and I understand you should get your confirmation in hours. Scotland is part of the UK.
Posted by
OP
Missouri
11 posts
Thank you!!
Posted by
USA Southwest
126 posts
Get the app on your phone and it is quite quick and easy.
Posted by
Paris
10902 posts
I understand you should get your confirmation in hours.
More like minutes!
Posted by
Freedonia
17606 posts
Everyone visiting the UK--England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland--needs an ETA.
Have your passports and a credit card available to complete the applications (you need one for each person traveling.). Use the website above or the app. It should cost 16 GBP. If anyone tries to charge more, then you are not at the official website.
Posted by
Singapore
894 posts
"Everyone visiting the UK--England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland--needs an ETA."
Actually this is not correct - you do not need an ETA if you have a visa (ie coming from a non-visa waiver country or with work visa, settled status etc), or if (like me) you're a Commonwealth citizen with Right of Abode.
Posted by
Gig Harbor, Washington, USA
1942 posts
The problem with getting the ETA is that they don't tell you exactly what you need until you get to the front of the on-line queue. You need a very clear no-glare photo of your passport (our attempts at taking that photo were rejected twice before we finally managed to get a clear enough one) and then another self-photo that includes your head and shoulders.
Posted by
99 posts
It takes 5 minutes to do on your phone
Posted by
Chicago
1703 posts
There have been several posts with various people's experiences with the ETA app/process. This link is from about 6 months ago just after the ETA procedure went into effect. Hopefully, you will have no difficulties, but as noted above, some have had a few problems. I had a bit of trouble getting a compliant photo and a bit of a glitch when the app said something like "try later". I re-loaded the app and all was fine.
(edit - I understand the price has gone up since the posts on the link below . Maybe the app has been revised as well - perhaps I shouldn't have posted a 6 month old link, but wanted to indicate that if all doesn't simply "fly through" on a first attempt, others have also encountered glitches.)
https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/england/uk-eta-application-experience
Seamless when I entered the UK last month - just as it should be!
Posted by
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
5219 posts
More like minutes!
Not always. We applied on Monday evening and got approval Wednesday.