UK ETA for Antigua and Barbuda Citizens: £20 Guide

Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda must have an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to visit Britain. Since 8 January 2025, every traveller on this passport has needed an approved authorisation before boarding. It costs £20, is linked to your passport electronically, and covers stays of up to six months.

Résumé : The ETA costs £20 and became mandatory on 8 January 2025. You apply online in about fifteen minutes, most approvals come the same day, and one authorisation covers repeated trips over two years.

Key facts for travellers from Antigua and Barbuda

• Qui en a besoin ? every Antigua and Barbuda passport holder, infants and children included (UK Home Office, règles UK ETA).
• Coût : £20 par personne, non remboursable, depuis le 8 avril 2026 (Home Office ETA factsheet, April 2026).
• Obligatoire depuis : 8 January 2025 for Antigua and Barbuda nationals (gov.uk).
• Validité : deux ans, ou jusqu'à l'expiration du passeport — selon la première échéance.
• Also covers: Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man (gov.uk/eta).

Do Antigua and Barbuda citizens need a UK ETA?

Yes. Anyone holding an Antigua and Barbuda passport needs one for tourism, family visits, short business trips, study of up to six months and airport transit. The country joined the scheme on 8 January 2025, along with 42 other visa-free countries. There is no age exemption. A baby flying to meet family in London still needs their own authorisation, which a parent arranges.

See it as your clearance to board, not a visa. Travel on an Antiguan or Barbudan passport and the airline at V.C. Bird International will look for an approved record before letting you fly. No approval, no boarding. There is a handy exception: if you also hold an Irish passport, you can travel on that and skip the requirement completely. Not sure how it applies to you? Our exigences par guide pays walks through the usual cases.

What the £20 fee pays for

The fee is a flat £20 per traveller and covers the authorisation on its own. Every applicant pays the same amount, whatever their age, and it has stayed at that level since 8 April 2026, when it rose from £16. You pay once, and the approval lasts two years with no renewal charge.

The saving people miss: you are never billed per trip. A family from St John’s who fly to Britain twice in a year still pay £20 each, a single time. For the background on the price change, read our Explication des frais de £20. Inside the validity window, the charge simply does not repeat.

Conseil pratique : If you are travelling for Antigua Sailing Week guests or a family reunion, apply for the whole group in one sitting a couple of weeks ahead. It leaves time to fix any photo that gets bounced without last-minute stress.

Would you rather not deal with the form? Our team can check each answer and submit it for you — a real help when you are arranging travel for an older relative. Or apply yourself on gov.uk for £20 and follow the steps.

How to apply from Antigua and Barbuda, step by step

Citizens of Antigua and Barbuda apply online through the official UK ETA app or the gov.uk service — there is no paper form and no interview. Set aside fifteen minutes, and keep your passport and a card ready before you start.

1. Open the official route: l'application UK ETA ou la page ETA gov.uk. Both feed the same government system.
2. Scannez votre passeport and take a live selfie. The app reads the chip to confirm your identity.
3. Répondez aux questions sur le voyage et l'admissibilité honestly — they cover criminal and immigration history.
4. Payez 20 £ par carte. Each traveller needs their own application and payment.
5. Watch your inbox. Approvals often arrive within hours; the service asks you to allow three working days.

The selfie stage delays more applicants than anything else. Poor lighting or a busy background gets the photo refused. Our guide des exigences en matière de photo shows what passes first time, and the erreurs courantes article covers the rest. For the full walkthrough, read comment postuler en ligne.

What documents do you need?

Just one: a valid biometric Antigua and Barbuda passport. The authorisation binds to that passport number electronically, so you carry no sticker or printout. Bank statements, bookings and return tickets are not requested during the application, though Border Force can still ask about your visit when you arrive.

Two details trip people up. First, apply with the passport you will actually fly on. If you replace it beforehand, you must apply again with the new one. Second, check the passport has enough validity for your dates. Confirm your own requirements with the official vérifiez si vous avez besoin d'un visa UK ou d'une UK ETA outil.

How quickly it is approved, and how long it lasts

Most applications from Antiguan and Barbudan travellers are decided the same day, often within a couple of hours, and the government guideline is up to three working days. Once approved, the authorisation lasts two years, or until your passport expires if that comes first. Apply well before your trip, not at the airport.

Timing matters more than it seems. A traveller from English Harbour applying the night before an early flight is usually fine — yet a routine background check can add a day, and nothing speeds it up. Leave a buffer. Our guide des délais de traitement has the detail, and you can learn how to check your status if the email is slow.

What the authorisation lets you do in Britain

With an approved ETA you can stay for up to six months for holidays, family visits, business meetings, short courses and transit. It does not permit paid work for a UK employer, public funds, or long-term residence. Those plans need a visa, not an ETA.

The same approval reaches beyond the mainland. If your trip includes Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, one record covers all three. Even a brief change of planes at a UK airport requires it, as our guide des transports et des escales explains. Weighing a short visit against a longer stay? The comparaison eVisa versus UK ETA helps you decide.

Voyager avec des enfants ? Lisez notre guide pour les enfants et les bébés before you apply, and if your route touches Ireland, check the UK ETA et Irlande rules. Want a second look at the form? We are glad to review and submit it with you.

VisaETA is an independent assistance service and is not part of the UK government. You can apply directly on the official gov.uk site for £20, or use our checking and support service if you would like a hand.

Questions fréquemment posées

Do Antigua and Barbuda citizens need a UK ETA in 2026?

Yes. The rule began on 8 January 2025. Everyone travelling on an Antigua and Barbuda passport, children included, must hold an approved authorisation before boarding a flight to Britain.

How much is it for an Antigua and Barbuda passport holder?

The fee is £20 a person. It climbed from £16 in April 2026. One payment covers all the trips you make while the approval stays valid, with nothing extra per journey.

How long does the approval last?

Two years, or until your passport expires if that comes first. Across that window you can return as often as you like, staying up to six months each time.

Can I work in the UK with it?

No. It suits holidays, business meetings, short study and transit. Paid work or moving to Britain needs the correct visa rather than a travel authorisation.

Does my child need their own approval?

Yes. No age is exempt. Each child needs a separate £20 authorisation tied to their passport, and a parent can complete it for them.

Does one approval also cover the Channel Islands?

Yes. A single approval admits you to Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man too, so travellers from Antigua and Barbuda never apply separately for those islands.