Electronic Travel Authorisation
Version 4.0

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Contents
Contents......................................................................................................................... 2
About this guidance ....................................................................................................... 4Contacts ..................................................................................................................... 4
Publication.................................................................................................................. 4
Changes from last version of this guidance .............................................................. 4
Purpose of guidance...................................................................................................... 5
Relevant legislation and legal framework ..................................................................... 6
Nationality and Borders Act 2022 .............................................................................. 6
Immigration Rules ...................................................................................................... 6
Introduction .................................................................................................................... 7
What is an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)? .................................................. 7
Who does not need an ETA ...................................................................................... 7
ETA: staged rollout .................................................................................................... 7
ETA application process ............................................................................................ 8
ETA application: withdrawals, variations and amendments ..................................... 8
ETA decision: review and appeals ............................................................................ 9
Validity requirements for Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) ................................ 10
Validity: providing biometrics and proving identity .................................................. 10
Identity exceptions casework ...................................................................................... 11
Identity ...................................................................................................................... 11
Biographic ................................................................................................................ 11
Biometrics ................................................................................................................ 12
ETA: rejection process............................................................................................. 12
Suitability casework ..................................................................................................... 13
Assessing suitability ................................................................................................. 13
Suitability requirements for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) ....................... 14
Exclusion or deportation order grounds .................................................................. 14
Criminality grounds .................................................................................................. 14
Non-conducive grounds........................................................................................... 15
War Crimes, terrorism and extremism .................................................................... 15
Previous breach of immigration laws grounds ........................................................ 15
False representations, etc grounds ......................................................................... 16
Unpaid litigation costs grounds ............................................................................... 16
Self-declared suitability details .................................................................................... 18
Self-declared criminality .......................................................................................... 18
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Overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK ........................... 18
Self-declared involvement in War Crimes, terrorism, or extremism ....................... 19
Refusal hierarchy......................................................................................................... 20
Stolen or lost documents ............................................................................................. 21
Safeguarding process ................................................................................................. 22

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About this guidance
The guidance tells you about applications for an Electronic Travel Authorisation(ETA).

Contacts
If you have any questions about the guidance and your line manager or seniorcaseworker cannot help you or you think that the guidance has factual errors thenemail ETA Policy.
If you notice any formatting errors in this guidance (broken links, spelling mistakes
and so on) or have any comments about the layout or navigability of the guidancethen you can email the Guidance, Rules and Forms team.

Publication
Below is information on when this version of the guidance was published:• version 4.0• published for Home Office staff on 4 April 2024

Changes from last version of this guidance
Changes since the last version of this guidance include:• updates to previous breach of immigration laws suitability, to define an overstay• updates to ETA: staged rollout, to update rollout details
Related content
Contents

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Purpose of guidanceThis guidance is for decision makers who are responsible for considering
applications for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) where either the applicant’s
identity cannot be satisfactorily established automatically or where potentiallyadverse information regarding a customer’s suitability for an ETA is identified.
Related content
Contents

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Relevant legislation and legal
framework
Nationality and Borders Act 2022
Section 75 of the Nationality and Borders Act 2022 provides the legal basis for the
Secretary of State to require individuals of a description specified in the Immigration
Rules (including those who do not need a visa, entry clearance or other specified
immigration status) to obtain permission to travel, in the form of an Electronic Travel
Authorisation (ETA), in advance of their journey to the UK.

Immigration Rules
The detailed provisions relating to the processing of ETA applications are set out
under Appendix: Electronic Travel Authorisation of the Immigration Rules.
Related content
Contents

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Introduction
This page tells you what is meant by the term Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

What is an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)?
An ETA is an advance travel permission required by specified non-visa nationals
when coming to the UK as a visitor or transiting the UK, or as a Creative Worker
seeking entry to the UK pursuant to paragraph Appendix Temporary Work - Creative
Worker at CRV 3.2.
Each traveller must get their own ETA, including children and babies.
An ETA provides an individual with permission to travel to the UK. It is not
permission to enter the UK and the holder of an ETA will need to obtain permission
to enter on arrival in the UK.
The requirement is applicable to all routes and modes of entry into the UK, including
those coming through the juxtaposed controls or travelling via the Common Travel
Area (CTA).

Who does not need an ETA
An ETA is not required for individuals who are one of the following:• British citizens• Irish citizens (except those that require permission to come to the UK as they
are subject to a deportation order, exclusion order decision, or an international
travel ban)
• a British Overseas Territory Citizen (BOTC) travelling on a BOTC passport• a person with entry clearance or permission to enter or stay in the UK, including
those who are settled• a person who is exempt from immigration control
Third country non-visa nationals lawfully resident in Ireland and travelling to the UK
to visit from elsewhere in the CTA also do not require an ETA.
For more information see:• Exemptions for visa applications• Electronic Travel Authorisation – Irish resident exemption

ETA: staged rollout
The ETA scheme will be implemented in a phased manner on the basis ofnationality.
An ETA is required by specified non-visa nationals in advance of travel to the UK.
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The application process opened on 25 October 2023 for Qatari nationals, who intend
to travel to the UK on or after 15 November 2023.
The ETA application process then opened on 1 February 2024, for nationals of
Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia only, who
intend to travel to the UK on or after 22 February 2024.
The ETA requirement will be rolled out to other non-visa nationalities by theiraddition to the Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation, and willcontinue throughout 2024.

ETA application process
The processing of an ETA application is designed to be automated insofar as
possible, and most applicants will have their ETA granted within three working daysof submitting their application.
Applicants must complete a short application where they need to provide biographic
and biometric data (in the form of a facial image), as well as provide answers to ashort series of suitability questions.
As a decision maker you will only need to consider applications where either:• an applicant’s identity cannot be satisfactorily established automatically• potentially adverse information has been identified• an applicant has self-declared criminality, involvement in war crimes, terrorism
or extremism
Where an application is referred to a decision maker for consideration on identity
grounds, you will need to determine whether the application meets the identity
requirements for an ETA, before a decision is made to accept or reject theapplication.
An application rejected at the identity verification stage will not be assessed against
the suitability requirements for an ETA and the applicant is able make a new
application.
Where an application is referred to a decision maker for consideration due topotentially adverse information identified through Home Office records; or throughself-declared criminality and self-declared involvement war crimes, terrorism or
extremism you will need to determine whether the application meets the suitability
requirements for an ETA, before a decision is made to grant or refuse theapplication.

ETA application: withdrawals, variations and amendments
Once an ETA application has been submitted by the applicant, it will not be possible
to withdraw, vary or amend this as part of the automated process.
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In the exceptions where an application is referred to a decision maker on identity orsuitability grounds, this should still be considered, and a decision issued using theinformation available, regardless of a request to withdraw or amend an application.
Any request made to the Home Office to withdraw or amend an ETA application
should be refused.

ETA decision: review and appeals
There is no right to administrative review or appeal against a decision made on an
ETA application.
Article 22(3) of the Regulation (EU) 2016/679 of the European Parliament and of theCouncil provides applicants with the right to human intervention to review a decisionthat has been made through a fully automated process. This provision is
supplemented by section 14 of the Data Protection Act 2018.
Applicants who have been granted an ETA via a solely automated process will have
one calendar month from the date of a grant decision to request a review of thisdecision by a decision maker. If the Home Office confirm the grant was issued by afully automated process the decision will be reviewed.
A decision to reject or refuse an application will not be automated. The right toreview under Article 22(3) therefore does not apply to any applicants that have been
rejected or refused as such decisions will always be made by a human decision
maker.
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Validity requirements for Electronic
Travel Authorisation (ETA)
This section tells you the validity requirements for an ETA that an applicant must
meet.
Where an application meets the validity requirements outlined in ETA 1.1. – 1.2. ofthe Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation, it is considered valid
and will be automatically granted provided there are no suitability concerns.
See: Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation.

Validity: providing biometrics and proving identity
As part of the ETA application process, applicants are required to provide a facial
biometric image. An application cannot normally be valid if the applicant has notprovided the required biometric information. The powers to require the provision of
biometrics as a condition of an ETA application are derived from the Immigration(Provision of Physical Data) Regulations 2006.
See: The Immigration (Provision of Physical Data) Regulations 2006.
Related content
Biometric enrolment: policy guidanceContents
Related external links
Get a passport photo: Digital photos
Biometric enrolment: policy guidance
Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor
Immigration Rules Appendix Temporary Work – Creative Worker

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Identity exceptions casework
This section tells you about the situations where an Electronic Travel Authorisation(ETA) application will be referred for consideration by a decision maker on identity
grounds.

Identity
An applicant must comply with both of the following requirements:• the applicant must provide, in accordance with the application process, a
passport which satisfactorily establishes their identity and nationality• the applicant must provide a facial image in accordance with the application
process and which complies with the rules for digital photos
See: Get a passport photo: Digital photos.
This information will be used to verify the identity of the applicant. Identity referrals
will be assigned to a decision maker for review where it has not been possible toautomatically verify identity. You must then conduct the relevant identity checks
before a decision is made to accept or reject the application.
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The information on this page has been removed as it is restricted for internal Home
Office use.

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Suitability casework
This section tells you how to consider whether an application meets the suitability
requirements for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

Assessing suitability
Decisions on an ETA application referred to a decision maker on suitability grounds
are identified through information contained in Home Office records; or through selfdeclared criminality and self-declared involvement in war crimes, terrorism or
extremism by an applicant.
Where adverse information is traced or declared, the application will be automaticallyreferred for your consideration. Adverse information must be investigated and then,considered against the suitability requirements to determine whether the policy
threshold for refusal has been met before a decision is made to grant or refuse theapplication.
Related content
Suitability requirements for an ETA
Suitability: self-declared details
Contents
Related external links
Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation

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Suitability requirements for an
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
This section tells you the suitability grounds which an application for an ETA must be
assessed against for refusal.
This section provides relevant links to suitability guidance used by decision makers
for applications considered under part 9 of the Immigration Rules. Part 9 is separate
from the Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation and does not
apply to ETA.
Only the sections of the linked suitability guidance set out in this guidance should be
used to support decisions made under the ETA suitability requirements. You must
not refer to any other section of guidance.
You must not apply discretion to any decisions on an ETA application and you must
make your decision using the information available to you. For the purpose of ETA,
refusal is mandatory where the suitability requirements are not met.
See: Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation.

Exclusion or deportation order grounds
An application for an ETA must be refused where either:• the Secretary of State has personally directed that the applicant be excluded
from the UK• the applicant is the subject of an exclusion order• the applicant is the subject of a deportation order, or a decision to make adeportation order
See: Suitability- Deportation and Exclusion at the following sections only Introduction
and Deportation orders. All other sections of this guidance must not be used for the
purpose of ETA applications.
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Criminality grounds
An application for an ETA must be refused where the applicant either:

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Published for Home Office staff on 4 April 2024• has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas for which they
have received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more
• has been convicted of a criminal offence in the UK or overseas unless morethan 12 months have passed since the date of conviction
Where criminality has been self-declared in the application, you must refer to selfdeclared suitability details.
See: Grounds for refusal - Criminality at the following sections only Custodial
sentences and Non-custodial sentences and out of court disposals. All other sectionsof this guidance must not be used for the purpose of ETA applications.

Non-conducive grounds
An application for an ETA must be refused where the applicant’s presence in the UK
is not conducive to the public good because of their conduct, character, associations
or other reasons (including convictions which do not fall within the criminality
grounds).
To ensure that decisions made on non-conducive grounds are compliant, you must
read the relevant guidance below which outlines what is considered non-conducive.
See: Non conducive at the following section only When is a person’s presence in the
UK not conducive to the public good? All other sections of this guidance must not be
used for the purpose of ETA applications.

War Crimes, terrorism and extremism
Where an applicant has failed to disclose their involvement in alleged war crimes,
terrorism or extremism on an application for ETA, whereby Home Office records
contain or indicate information to the contrary, you must refuse the application on
non-conducive grounds, rather than on grounds of false representation or failure todisclose relevant facts.
See: Non conducive at the following section only When is a person’s presence in the
UK not conducive to the public good? All other sections of this guidance must not be
used for the purpose of ETA applications.

Previous breach of immigration laws grounds
An application for an ETA must be refused if, when they were aged 18 or over, theapplicant either:•overstayed their permission unless:o the Home Office holds a record that permission was subsequently grantedwith knowledge of the overstayingo the person left the UK voluntarily, not at the expense (directly or indirectly) of
the Secretary of State

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•
•
•
•

o the person overstayed for 90 days or less, where the overstaying began
before 6 April 2017o the person overstayed for 30 days or less, where the overstaying began onor after 6 April 2017o paragraph 39E applies to the period of overstaying
breached a condition attached to their permission, unless entry clearance orfurther permission was subsequently granted with knowledge of the breachwere (or still are) an illegal entrant
used deception in relation to an immigration application (whether or not
successfully)

See: Suitability: previous breach of immigration laws at the What is a breach of
immigration laws? section only. All other sections of this guidance must not be used
for the purpose of ETA applications.

False representations, etc grounds
An application for an ETA must be refused where in relation to the current or aprevious ETA application either:• false representations were made, or false documents or false information was
submitted (whether or not relevant to the application, and whether or not to theapplicant’s knowledge)• relevant facts were not disclosed
See: Suitability: false representations, deception, false documents, non-disclosure of
relevant facts at the following sections only Mistakes and Meanings of terms used inthis guidance. All other sections of this guidance must not be used for the purpose of
ETA applications.

Unpaid litigation costs grounds
An application for an ETA must be refused where the applicant has failed to pay
litigation costs awarded to the Home Office.
See: Suitability unpaid litigation costs at the following sections only What is litigation
debt? and How to check if a person owes a litigation debt. All other sections of thisguidance must not be used for the purpose of ETA applications.
Related content
Contents
Related external links
Conducive Deportation
Suitability: Deportation and Exclusion
Grounds for refusal - Criminality
Suitability: non-conducive grounds for refusal
Suitability: previous breach of UK immigration laws

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Suitability guidance: false representations, deception, false documents, nondisclosure of relevant facts
Suitability unpaid litigation costs

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Self-declared suitability details
This section tells you how to consider whether an application meets the suitability
requirements for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) where an applicant selfdeclares criminality or involvement in war crime, terrorism or extremism.

Self-declared criminality
As part of the ETA application process, applicants are required to disclose any
criminal convictions. This is mandatory and an application cannot proceed without
the applicant completing a self-declaration and providing the following information, if
applicable:
•
•
•
•
•

nature of conviction
date of conviction
country of conviction
type of sentence, (custodial / suspended)length of sentence

For convictions overseas which meet the criteria set out in the Criminality grounds
under rule ETA 2.2.(a) and (b) of the Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel
Authorisation and have a direct equivalent in UK criminal law, you must refuse theapplication. This applies regardless of age.
See: Criminality grounds.
The nature of an overseas conviction must be taken into consideration, rather than
the title of the conviction alone, when assessing if a conviction is a direct equivalent
in UK criminal law.
This application of the rules is distinct from overseas convictions which are notrecognised as an offence in the UK.

Overseas convictions and offences not recognised in the UK
Where an applicant declares a conviction for an offence that is not recognised in theUK, you should not refuse the application solely on the basis of that conviction.
This may include an overseas conviction for homosexuality, or membership of a
trade union. These convictions are intended for indicative purposes only. There are anumber of activities which may be considered a criminal offence elsewhere, butwhich are not in the UK.
Any self-declared convictions that are not comparable to a domestic equivalent willneed to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and will depend on the specific natureof the ‘offence or offences’ for which penalties have been imposed by foreign
judiciaries as to whether you consider it appropriate to disregard as part of thedecision-making process to grant or refuse an ETA application.
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For the purposes of decision-making, parking offences or parking misdemeanours
are not considered grounds for refusal and therefore you must not refuse anapplication solely on this basis.
If you are unsure if a conviction abroad is recognised as an offence in the UK, you
should consult your supervisor.

Self-declared involvement in War Crimes, terrorism, or
extremism
As part of the ETA application process, applicants are required to disclose
involvement or suspected involvement with any of the following:• war crimes• terrorism• extremist organisations
This is mandatory and an application cannot proceed without the applicant providing
this information.
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Related content
Suitability: non-conducive grounds for refusal
Contents
Related external links
Suitability: non-conducive grounds for refusal

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Stolen or lost documents
A stolen or lost travel document (SLTD), which has been reported should becancelled by the relevant authority and is therefore not a valid travel document.
Where it is identified that an application for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)
has been made using a passport or identity document that has been reported stolen
or lost by the holder then the application must be rejected. The applicant may
reapply for an ETA using a valid document.
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