Online UK ETA submissions on etourist.com follow a short path: you fill in a form, a specialist checks it, and the company sends it to the UK government for you. This guide walks through each stage, what to have ready, and what you can no longer change once the application has gone.
- Fill in the form. Personal details, passport details and a photo of your face.
- Pay at checkout. The government fee is shown separately from the service fee.
- Wait for the review. eTourist’s specialists check the details for common errors.
- Answer any follow-up. If the reviewer needs more from you, the order can show an “Info needed” status.
- Submission to the government. From this point the details are locked.
- Receive the decision by email. GOV.UK says most decisions arrive within a day.
Note. This article is general information about the process, not legal or immigration advice. GOV.UK has the final word on who needs an ETA.
Gather These Items Before You Open the Form
etourist.com lists four things for a UK ETA application. GOV.UK asks for the same core items from people who apply directly, so the list holds on either route.
- The passport you will travel on, because the ETA is linked to that passport
- A recent photo of your face, which eTourist says can be taken on a phone
- An email address, where the decision arrives
- A payment card, with major cards accepted
Get the face photo right first
The photo is the item most likely to need a second attempt. GOV.UK publishes photo rules for visa and permission applications, and the ETA photo has to meet them.
| Rule | What GOV.UK asks for |
|---|---|
| Background | Plain and light-coloured, with clear contrast |
| Lighting | A well-lit room, with no red eye |
| Expression | Plain expression, mouth closed, eyes open and visible |
| Glasses | Avoid unless medically needed, and never sunglasses or tinted lenses |
| Head covering | Only for religious or medical reasons |
| Framing | Head, shoulders and upper body visible, no hair over the eyes |
| File | JPG, at least 600 x 750 pixels, 50KB to 6MB, no filters |
Tip. Stand against a plain light wall in a bright room and ask someone else to take the picture. A selfie at arm’s length rarely gets the shoulders in frame.
Work Through the Questions the Application Asks
Whichever route you use, the government needs the same information. GOV.UK’s guide to the UK ETA app lists the questions applicants answer after the passport and photo steps.
About you
Expect questions on your home address, your job and any other nationalities you hold. Take the nationality question seriously: if one of them is British or Irish, you cannot get an ETA at all and travel on that passport or a certificate of entitlement instead.
About your history
The form asks about criminal convictions, including the type of offence, the date and the sentence. Answer fully. The Immigration Rules set out which convictions lead to refusal, and they treat false or missing information as a ground for refusal in its own right.
Warning. A reviewer can catch a mistyped date or a swapped digit. Only you know whether an answer is complete, and the eTourist terms make the customer responsible for accurate, current information.
About children
For applicants under 18, the app asks for a parent’s contact details. Each child needs a separate application of their own.
Good to know. GOV.UK’s app requires a face scan from age 10. On the eTourist route there is nothing to scan, because the form runs in a browser and uses a photo you upload.
How UK ETA Submissions Move Through etourist.com
[IMAGE: uk-eta-online-submission-steps.webp]
Payment comes first. The eTourist terms say the government fee is shown separately at checkout, collected with your order and paid to the government when the application is submitted. The service fee is the company’s own charge for the review and submission work.
After you pay, the order moves through a set of statuses. The names below come from the eTourist refund policy, which uses them to explain what can still be cancelled at each point.
| Status | Where the order stands |
|---|---|
| Incomplete | With eTourist, review not started |
| Received | With eTourist, review not started |
| Reviewed | With eTourist, review started |
| Info needed | With eTourist, review started, waiting on you |
| After submission | With the Home Office, details locked |
The policy also names two other statuses, Non-responsive and Expired. Neither is refundable, so replying to the reviewer promptly keeps your options open.
Note. Statuses show where the order sits with eTourist. Once the application reaches the Home Office, the government sets the timetable, and the eTourist terms say the company cannot guarantee any government processing time.
Check Every Field Before It Leaves Your Hands
Corrections stop being possible at a precise moment. eTourist’s UK ETA FAQ says an application submitted to the UK authorities cannot be changed, and that you will usually need to apply and pay for a new ETA. GOV.UK says the same to direct applicants.
Warning. A new application means paying the £20 government fee again, because GOV.UK does not refund the fee once you have applied.
Before you confirm, read the form back against the passport itself, not from memory.
- Passport number, character by character. The letter O and the number 0 are easy to swap.
- Names exactly as printed on the photo page, including middle names.
- Date of birth and passport expiry date, with day and month in the right order.
- Nationality, matching the passport you will travel on.
- Email address, since the decision is sent there.
What Happens Once the Home Office Has It
GOV.UK says you will usually get a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to 3 working days. The Home Office factsheet adds that most applicants currently get an automatic decision in minutes, and it recommends applying at least 3 working days before you travel.
Example. A traveler submits on a Thursday afternoon for a Monday flight. Three working days run to Tuesday, so a case flagged for manual review could miss the trip. Submitting a week earlier removes that risk. (Illustrative scenario.)
On the eTourist route, the terms say the company follows the application’s progress and delivers the result to you. If nothing arrives after 3 working days, GOV.UK suggests checking your spam folder and then contacting UK Visas and Immigration.
Good to know. You must wait for the email confirming your ETA before you travel. Once approved, it lasts 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first, and the GOV.UK check service shows the expiry date.
Submission Questions Travelers Raise
Can I submit for my children on etourist.com?
Yes. eTourist says parents can complete applications on behalf of their children. Each child still needs an individual ETA and pays the full government fee, in line with GOV.UK’s rule that babies and children need their own.
Do I need the UK ETA app if I use etourist.com?
No. The eTourist form runs in a web browser. The official UK ETA app is one way to apply directly, and GOV.UK also offers an online form for people who cannot use the app.
Can I submit from the airport?
The form is online, so it is possible, but eTourist itself calls it risky. A case flagged for review can take up to 3 working days, and since 25 February 2026 carriers will not board eligible visitors who do not have an ETA.
Can I apply for an adult who is not with me?
On GOV.UK, yes: the online route accepts photos of the other person’s passport and face. eTourist describes parents applying for children, so for another adult, ask support before ordering.
Does approval guarantee entry?
No. An ETA is permission to travel. A Border Force officer makes the entry decision when you arrive.
Your Pre-Submit Checklist
- The passport you will carry, not due to expire before the trip ends
- A face photo that meets the GOV.UK rules
- Every passport field checked against the document
- An email inbox you can open while traveling
- At least 3 working days before departure, ideally more
- Time to reply if the reviewer asks for information
With those six items in hand, the submission itself is the short part. Most of the waiting belongs to the government, and leaving a margin is the one thing every applicant controls.
