Since January 8, 2025, United States citizens need an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) to visit Great Britain. The ETA costs about $21 (as of April 9, 2025), and the online application process is fairly simple. But like lightning, scammers have hit the internet, with official-looking websites aimed at victimizing unaware ETA-seekers.
Just as quickly, the panicked questions and complaints from confused travelers began to roll into my inbox. Some had already been tricked into paying many times the regular fee for their UK ETA.
But overpaying for an Electronic Travel Authorization is the least of these travelers’ worries.
Having shared their passports, addresses, banking information, and more, instead of happily planning their vacations, they’re concerned about identity theft.
I’ve been reporting on the plague of scam call centers flooding the internet for years now. These fraudsters appear in the Google search results posing as your favorite airlines, hotels, cruise lines and car rental companies.
Now these scammers have broadened their horizons to be “official” ETA processors. And while some of these pretenders may actually obtain an ETA for you while collecting a hefty fee, most won’t. Their only goal is to steal your data and cash.
Don’t let that be you.
Here’s how I applied for a United Kingdom ETA in seven mostly easy steps. Follow my lead, and you’ll bypass the scammers and be able to look forward to your trip to Jolly Old England instead.
Pro-tip: The cost of the UK ETA rose from £10 to £16 on April 9, 2025. You don’t need to have travel plans to apply for a UK ETA and, once approved, it’s good for two years for unlimited entries. So if you think your travel plans might include the United Kingdom in the next two years, you may want to apply now before the cost increases again.
Step 1: Avoid the scams and use GOV.UK for your ETA
Step 1 of the ETA. application is the most precarious part of the process. That’s where, if you’re not paying careful attention you could end up falling right into the hands of a scammer.
GOV.UK is the only official place to obtain a UK ETA. Full stop. That is the only website where you will securely upload your personal information and pay just the government fee (£16, currently about $21).
But if you google “UK ETA,” the results include a variety of websites claiming to be official sites. These posers who are paying to appear in front of your eyes at the top of the Google search, will possibly obtain the ETA for you. However, you’ll be completing all of the same application steps you can easily do on your own on the secure government website. And if you land on one of those sites, you’ll also be paying a hefty fee in addition to the standard £16.
What the search results show for United Kingdom ETA
Below are some of the search results on the day I applied for my ETA. I think it’s easy to see how someone unfamiliar with the application process could be fooled by the titles of these sites. That’s particularly true of the one that claims to be the “The Official Site UK ETA.”
All of the above sites will charge you big service fees to process your UK ETA. I visited each of these sponsored results and only one of them revealed the true cost of the ETA at the start of the application. The other sites are clearly hoping to casually add the additional charge after you’ve already completed all the steps so you’ll be less likely to bail.
However, the second result in the screenshot above details their service fee of $69. That’s on top of the $18 standard charge for regular processing, which the site indicates is five days. They can expedite your ETA application for an additional $10 or $20, so you’ll receive it in one or two days.
The expedited processing is particularly scammy because – spoiler alert – I got my ETA approved in less than a minute. The GOV.UK website notes that applicants can expect a swift answer “in less than three days.”
It’s not hard to see how much this deceptive website could cost a family traveling to Great Britain.
To successfully complete Step 1 of the ETA process, make certain you’re on the GOV.UK ETA Guide.
Step 2: Download the UK ETA app to your mobile device
From the GOV.UK website ETA Guide page, you’ll be directed to download the UK ETA application app to your mobile device. For this reason, you should visit the guide from that device so you can download the app directly to it (You can’t download the UK ETA app to your desktop).
Although the website says there are other ways to apply without a mobile device, when I tested it out, I was taken on an endless loop, which always led me back to the prompt to download the UK ETA app.
It probably won’t surprise you that there are also apps pretending to be the official UK ETA app in the app stores. So it is best to access the UK ETA app from the button on the GOV.UK ETA guide.
Scroll to the bottom of the page and you’ll find the buttons for the app stores.
The official UK ETA application app will look like this on your phone or iPad:
The rest of the ETA application will be completed on your mobile device.
Step 3: Gather the documents you need to complete the UK ETA application
Before you begin the ETA application, I recommend gathering everything you need to complete it.
- Passport
- A credit card
- Your face
- Access to the email address you’re using to apply
Note: You’ll need to remove any protective case from the mobile device you’re using and take your passport out of its cover. You will be asked to take a selfie during the application process so keep that in mind. I only mention that because I wasn’t aware and first started my application in my pjs. Oops.
After you have dressed for the day, washed your face, combed your hair, and gathered all the above items, you’re ready to start.
Step 4: Add your personal details
Add your email address to the first page of your application. You’ll then receive a 6-digit authorization code to that email address and you’ll need to put it into the app to proceed.
Next you’ll add your phone number and answer a series of questions, which include whether you have a Biometric passport. Biometric passports have an icon of a camera on the front cover. All U.S. citizens will have a Biometric passport since these were issued from 2006.
Now you’ll need to take a photo of the information page of your passport. Make certain that the entire page is within the frame and includes your picture and all the numbers and other details.
Step 5: Scan the chip in your passport with your mobile device
Scanning the chip in my passport was the most problematic part of the UK ETA application process. I’ve heard from others who’ve had the same difficulties I had trying to locate the chip.
Here are the instructions from the UK ETA App, which show that you should close your passport and scan your phone over the front.
Even with my phone out of its case, I repeatedly received the warning that my passport’s Biometric chip couldn’t be found.
I also tried to scan my passport’s photo page looking for the chip, with no success. I was beginning to think someone forgot to put a Biometric chip in my passport.
But finally, as I was about to give up for the day, I scanned the first page before the photo page, and that did the trick!
Step 6: The real-time selfie and a few more questions
The final step before the payment is to take a selfie in a well-lit area – with a neutral look. I first tried to smile, but the app immediately rejected my friendly efforts and told me to shut my mouth. Literally. No teeth are allowed in this photoshoot.
So I put on my serious face and the system accepted my picture and moved onto the next screen. There, I was asked if I was a criminal or if I’d been involved in any war crimes or terrorism. If you’re wondering, I truthfully answered “No” to both. My profession and my permanent address were the only other questions. As I mentioned, you do not need any specific travel plans to apply for an ETA.
Step 7: Paying for your UK ETA
Now you’re in the homestretch for your UK ETA. The site will convert the £16 fee into your currency at the current rates. On the day I applied, when the cost was still £10 (it is now £16), it converted to a bit over $13. Remember, if you currently get to this stage and are asked for to pay anything significantly above $21, you’ve likely taken a wrong turn along the application process.
As soon as my payment went through, I received a notification that my UK ETA application was received.
Moments later, and I do mean moments later, I received my approval. The UK ETA is tied to my passport number and is now good for unlimited entries for the next two years. Visitors from the United States on a UK ETA are permitted to stay for up to 6 months at a time.
The bottom line
The application process for the UK ETA is simple and straightforward. Don’t let a scammer trick you into paying more than the standard cost of the Electronic Travel Authorization. Always start the ETA process at GOV.UK and proceed to the official app.
If you do all that, you should have your UK ETA in no time at all and soon be on your way across the pond. Cheerio, friends! (Michelle Couch-Friedman, Founder of Consumer Rescue)
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“There, I was asked if I was a criminal or if I’d been involved in any war crimes or terrorism. If you’re wondering, I truthfully answered “No” to both.”
Sure, I believe you… 🙂 Just kidding–I am sure you answered honestly.
That does sound easy–and thank you about the warning not to do this in your PJs–that will help many of us who work from home.
🙂 I contemplated just taking the photo in my PJs. But since I don’t know exactly where that picture goes and I know it will be floating around for at least two years, I thought it best to shower and put on some clothes, lol.
Thank you! This is incredibly helpful, and I’ve shared it with my friends
I’m glad you found it helpful, Rebecca 🙂
I was unable to scan the chip, but approval was still granted in minutes using the app.
My mother told me the same thing yesterday. She tried repeatedly to scan the chip and couldn’t do it, so she just clicked “skip,” and her ETA was also shortly approved. I’m guessing that’s because the system knows that all US passports have a Biometric chip in 2025, which immigration can access on arrival.
Great information Michelle! Thanks for keeping us safe from these scammers!
You’re welcome! 🙂