זיקויות בעלות הסכמה ל-UK ETA 2026: מי צריך להגיש בקשה

The UK ETA eligible nationalities are the visa-exempt citizens — including American, Canadian, Australian, Japanese, Gulf and all EU nationals — who must now hold a £20 Electronic Travel Authorisation before flying to the United Kingdom. This guide explains exactly who qualifies, who is exempt, and how to confirm your own status before you book a trip in 2026.

TL;DR: If your passport lets you enter the UK without a visa, you almost certainly need a UK ETA. It costs £20, lasts two years, allows multiple visits of up to six months each, and is usually approved within three working days. Citizens of the UK and Ireland never need one.

עובדות מהירות	פרטים
מי צריך UK ETA	Visa-exempt non-British/Irish travellers
עמלה	£20 per person (since 9 April 2025)
תוקף	2 שנים או עד לתום תוקף הדרכון
Stay permitted	עד 6 חודשים לכל ביקור
זמן ההחלטה	בדרך כלל תוך 3 ימי עבודה

Before you apply, it helps to know where your country sits on the official list. You can confirm requirements on the gov.uk “who needs an ETA” page (last checked June 2026), and read our explainer on UK ETA requirements for 85 nationalities to see country-specific notes.

Which UK ETA eligible nationalities must apply in 2026?

Roughly 85 visa-exempt nationalities must apply, spanning North America, the Gulf, East Asia, Latin America and the whole of Europe. If your country sits on the UK’s visa-exempt list and you are not a UK or Irish national, you fall inside the scheme and must apply for tourism, business, study or transit through Britain.

The scheme rolled out in stages. Non-European visa-exempt travellers — citizens of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the Gulf states and others — needed an ETA from 8 January 2025. European nationals, including all 27 EU member states plus Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, were brought into the scheme from 2 April 2025 (UK Home Office ETA guidance, verified 23 June 2026). Officials report that millions of ETAs have already been issued since launch.

To check your personal position, use the official gov.uk visa and ETA checker (viewed June 2026), which confirms in under a minute whether you need an ETA or a full visa. EU travellers can also read our dedicated UK ETA requirements for EU nationals guide for the April 2025 changes.

Who is exempt and never needs a UK ETA?

UK and Irish citizens, anyone with an existing UK visa or immigration status, and lawful residents of Ireland travelling within the Common Travel Area are all outside the scheme. Dual nationals who hold either passport are exempt too, and should simply travel on that document instead of applying.

Holders of a valid UK visa, a Biometric Residence Permit, settled or pre-settled status, or any other form of UK immigration permission are covered by that status and must not apply for an ETA on top of it. The same applies to people who already have indefinite leave to remain. The Home Office confirms these exemptions on its official ETA overview (reviewed June 2026). If you carry two passports, our guide to UK ETA rules for dual citizens explains which one to use.

טיפ מקצועי: If you are eligible for both an Irish passport and an ETA, the passport is the cheaper, simpler option — Irish citizens enjoy free movement to the UK under the Common Travel Area and never pay the £20 fee.

Do children and infants count among eligible travellers?

Yes — every traveller of any age needs their own ETA, including newborn babies and children. There is no family application and no age exemption, so a family of four from an eligible country pays 4 × £20, totalling £80, with each child holding an individual authorisation linked to their own passport.

Parents must apply separately for each child, using the child’s own passport details. The £20 fee applies identically to minors, and the two-year validity runs from the date of approval for each person. Because babies’ passports are reissued frequently, many families find a child’s ETA outlives the passport it was tied to — a common pitfall covered in our מדריך ETA בבריטניה לילדים ותינוקות. For the formal rules, see the gov.uk ETA eligibility page (confirmed June 2026).

Since the scheme’s launch in January 2025, the Home Office has applied the same per-person rule to school trips and group travel, although a limited concession exists for some organised French school groups visiting under collective travel arrangements. Families travelling together should still budget for one ETA per passenger.

How UK ETA eligible nationalities differ from visa nationals

The crucial split is between visa-exempt and visa-required travellers. These eligible passport holders skip the full visa process and instead complete a quick £20 online authorisation, while visa nationals must apply for a Standard Visitor visa costing far more, with biometrics, documents and a longer wait at a visa application centre.

An ETA is not a visa; it is a lighter pre-travel screening that mirrors systems like the US ESTA. Visa nationals — a separate and much longer list — cannot use the ETA route at all and must obtain a visitor visa before travelling. The Standard Visitor visa currently costs around £135 for a six-month visa, many times the ETA fee (gov.uk ויזות והגירה, checked 23 June 2026). To understand which side you are on, our overview of the ETA requirement for non-European travellers sets out the distinction clearly.

This gap is more than financial. Visa nationals must show evidence of funds, accommodation and intentions, attend a visa application centre to give fingerprints and a photograph, and wait roughly three weeks for a decision. Eligible travellers, by contrast, answer a short set of suitability questions online and usually hear back inside three business days. The government designed the ETA precisely to keep low-risk, visa-free travel fast while still screening arrivals before they board.

How eligible travellers apply for a UK ETA

Eligible travellers apply online in about 10 minutes through the official UK ETA app or the gov.uk website. You scan your passport, upload a photo, answer suitability questions, pay £20 by card, and wait for an email decision — usually inside three business days, though plenty of approvals land within minutes of submitting.

The application is deliberately simple, but accuracy matters because the ETA is linked digitally to the exact passport you use. Follow these steps to apply correctly the first time:

1. בדוק את זכאותך on the בודק הוויזה של gov.uk to confirm you need an ETA rather than a visa.
2. הורד את אפליקציית ה-ETA or open the gov.uk apply page and scan the passport you will travel on.
3. Take a digital photo when prompted and answer the suitability and security questions honestly.
4. שלם את העמלה בסך 20 ליש"ט by card and submit one application per traveller, including children.
5. Wait for the email decision and keep it with your travel documents; the ETA is held electronically against your passport.

For a full walkthrough with screenshots and common pitfalls, see our step-by-step guide on כיצד להגיש בקשה ל-ETA לבריטניה באופן מקוון בשנת 2026. The Home Office advises applying well ahead of travel, as some applications are referred for extra checks and take longer than the usual three-day window (gov.uk apply for an ETA, as of 23 June 2026).

• Tip 1: Always verify your status on the official gov.uk checker לפני הזמנת טיסות.
• Tip 2: Apply at least three working days before departure — see our UK ETA processing times guide.
• Tip 3: One ETA per person, including babies — budget £20 each.

The bottom line is simple. Almost every visa-exempt passport holder who is not a UK or Irish national falls inside the scheme — from American and Canadian visitors right through to all EU citizens. Check your status early, apply through the official gov.uk ETA service, and keep each authorisation linked to a valid passport so your trip to the UK starts smoothly.

שאלות נפוצות

Where can I check the UK ETA eligible nationalities list?

The authoritative source is the gov.uk ETA pages and the official visa checker. Enter your nationality and reason for travel, and it confirms whether you need an ETA, a visa, or nothing at all within about a minute.

Do US citizens need a UK ETA?

Yes. United States citizens have needed a UK ETA since 8 January 2025. The £20 authorisation lasts two years and allows multiple visits of up to six months each for tourism, business or transit.

Do EU citizens need a UK ETA in 2026?

Yes. All EU nationals, plus citizens of Norway, Iceland, Switzerland and Liechtenstein, have needed a UK ETA since 2 April 2025. They apply online and pay the same £20 fee as other eligible travellers.

Are British and Irish citizens exempt?

Yes. British and Irish citizens never need an ETA. Dual nationals holding a British or Irish passport should simply travel on that passport and do not apply for an ETA.

How much does an ETA cost per person?

The fee is £20 per person, set on 8 April 2026 when it rose from £16. Every traveller, including children and babies, needs their own paid ETA.

Does an ETA guarantee entry to the UK?

No. An ETA authorises you to travel to the UK, but a Border Force officer still makes the final decision on entry at the border. You must meet the conditions of your visit.

כמה זמן תקף ה-ETA לבריטניה?

An ETA is valid for two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. During that time you can make multiple trips of up to six months each without reapplying.

Last updated: 2026-06-23 — verified against gov.uk schedule.