Immigration Corner | What are the uses, limitations of an Electronic Travel Authorization?

Dear Mr. Bassie,

I would like to know what the uses and limitations of an Electronic Travel Authorization are. I would appreciate any advice that you can provide.

– L.L.

Dear L.L.,

It should be noted that whether persons need to apply for an Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) will depend on why they are travelling to the United Kingdom (UK).

An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK. If a person has a criminal record or were previously refused entry into the UK, he/she may want to apply for a Standard Visitor visa instead.

WHAT PERSONS CAN DO WITH AN ETA

Persons can:

• go to the UK for up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, or on a business trip or for short-term study

• go to the UK for up to three months on the Creative Worker visa concession

• go to the UK for a permitted paid engagement

• transit through a UK airport if they pass through border control – check with the airline if they are not sure.

It is advisable that; if going to the UK for another reason, persons should check if they need a visa instead.

WHAT PERSONS CANNOT DO WITH AN ETA

It should be further noted that persons cannot:

• stay in the UK for longer than six months

• do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as a self-employed person, unless they are doing a permitted paid engagement or event or work on the Creative Worker visa concession

• claim public funds (benefits)

• live in the UK through frequent or successive visits

• marry or register a civil partnership or give notice of marriage or civil partnership – they will need to apply for a Marriage Visitor visa.

APPLY FOR AN ETA

It costs £16 to apply online or through the UK ETA app to apply for an ETA, persons cannot get a refund after they have applied. Please be aware persons cannot get a faster decision by applying through another website or app.

Applicants will need:

• the passport they will travel with

• an email address

• a credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay

When applying, they will need to upload or take photos of the face of the person applying.

APPLYING FOR SOMEONE ELSE

Persons may apply for someone else’s ETA on the UK ETA app if they are with them.

If the person they are applying for is not with them, they must apply for their ETA online. They will need a photo of their passport and a photo of their face.

APPLY ON THE UK ETA APP

Persons will need to use their phone’s camera to scan their passport and their face.

He/she should download the UK ETA app on:

• Google Play

• the App Store

If they cannot download the app on their phone then they should apply online.

APPLY ONLINE

To apply online persons will need a photo of the passport and the face of the person applying. After applying, persons will get a decision by email from UK Visas and Immigration (UKVI), usually within a day. The email will contain the applicant’s 16-digit ETA reference number. Persons should contact UKVI if they have not had a decision after three working days. Please note that they may get decisions at different times to other people for whom they have applied.

Please be aware that the ETA will be linked to the passport that was applied with people who only need to show their passport when travelling to the UK.

HOW LONG IT LASTS

An ETA lasts for two years or until their passport expires, whichever is sooner. They can travel to the UK as many times as they want while they have an ETA.

If assistance is needed persons may read the guide to using the UK ETA app; watch the ‘What is an ETA?’ video on YouTube; and/or watch the ‘How to apply for an ETA’ video on YouTube.

I hope this helps.

All the best.

John S. Bassie

John S. Bassie is a barrister/attorney-at-law who practises law in Jamaica. He is a justice of the peace, a Supreme Court-appointed mediator, a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators, a chartered arbitrator, the past global president of the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators and a member of the Immigration Law Practitioners Association (U.). Email: lawbassie@yahoo.com