Guides / United Kingdom · US visitor planning
UK ETA for US Citizens: Cost, Validity and Passport Checks
A UK ETA for US citizens currently costs £20 through the official service. For a typical US tourist without an exemption or other UK permission, checking the ETA requirement belongs on the same list as checking the travel passport. Paying the fee starts an application; it does not itself authorize travel.
Start with the current GOV.UK overview. It directs travelers to check nationality and purpose, explains that each person who needs an ETA needs their own—including children—and warns that approval does not guarantee entry. The useful question is not simply whether Americans need an ETA, but whether each person on this particular trip does.
UK ETA for US citizens: check five things
| Check | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Requirement | Nationality, purpose and any exemption |
| Passport | The document you will actually travel with |
| Fee | The current official charge, rather than an old search excerpt |
| Decision | The approval email, rather than just an application receipt |
| Validity | Both the authorization and the passport before departure |
Use that list separately for each traveler. A parent’s permission does not establish a child’s status, and one person receiving a decision does not show that the rest of the group has been approved. Keep the checks attached to names and travel documents in your own private records, not in a public itinerary.
The official fee is £20, not the older £16
The Home Office’s fee schedule records the increase from £16 to £20 from April 8, 2026. The current ETA overview and application page also show £20. Older articles or cached excerpts can therefore contain a historically correct fee that is no longer the current charge.
At £20 each, applications for two people total £40; four total £80, assuming all need an ETA. These are simple fee examples in pounds, without currency conversion or outside service charges.
Before paying, check the site address and the amount. An attractive “apply now” advertisement is not evidence that you are using the government service. GOV.UK says other websites may charge more; its application instructions also say using another website or app does not buy a faster decision.
Check citizenship and transit exemptions first
The exemption page lists British and Irish citizens, people with a UK visa or relevant existing permission, and other specific situations. A dual US-British or US-Irish citizen should not treat their US passport as a reason to buy an ETA: the page says those dual citizens cannot get one and explains how to prove citizenship when traveling.
Transit needs its own question. The current guidance exempts airside transit without passing through UK border control; travel through border control can require an ETA, depending on the traveler. Ask the airline which transfer you are actually making. “I am only connecting” does not describe whether that connection stays airside.
These are examples, not the complete exemption list. Open the official checker for your circumstances, especially if you hold more than one nationality or already have UK immigration permission. Avoid paying first and investigating an exemption afterward.
Apply with the passport you will use
The application needs your travel passport, email and a supported payment method, plus the required face photograph. The official page offers the UK ETA app or an online route and explains how applying for another person works. Follow its current photo instructions rather than substituting a cropped social-media portrait.
An approved ETA is linked to the passport used in the application. It lasts two years or until that passport expires, whichever comes first. If you renew your passport between applying and taking the trip, do not assume the old authorization has moved to the new document. Recheck the official requirement with the passport you intend to present.
For US documents, our online passport renewal guide explains the separate eligibility and delivery questions. Resolving a passport renewal and resolving an ETA are different tasks; keep both in the travel checklist.
Allow time for a decision and check the email
GOV.UK says decisions usually arrive within a day but can take up to three working days. Wait for the confirmation before travel. The application page explains what to do if that period passes without a decision, including checking the spam folder. Treat the published timeframe as planning guidance, not a personal deadline guarantee.
Keep a private record of which passport was used, when the application was submitted and whether approval arrived. If several relatives apply together, give each person a separate approval check. Do not infer that an application succeeded merely because a card was charged.
Finally, an ETA has a defined visitor scope. The permitted-activities page explains tourism and other allowed purposes, along with restrictions on work and living in the UK through repeated visits. It is not a substitute for the visa or permission required for a different purpose. For packing, see our power-bank flight guide.
Sources and method
Checked October 25, 2026, against the linked GOV.UK pages. Fee examples are Curio Tangent arithmetic; photographs are archival. Prepared with AI assistance and source verification. No application was submitted, and this guide does not determine an individual’s immigration status or guarantee admission.
