UK ETA vs Standard Visitor Visa: Which One Do You Need?

Your nationality decides it. Visa-exempt visitors need a £20 ETA; visa nationals need a £135 Standard Visitor visa. Both lead to the same visit of up to 6 months, under the same rules.

Last verified: September 2026

Side by side

Fees are the Home Office fees in force from 8 April 2026, when the ETA rose from £16 to £20. They are reviewed most years, so check the current figure before you apply.

Which one applies to you

The UK sorts nationalities into two lists. If yours is on the Visa National List, you need a visa for any visit. If it is on the ETA National List, you need an ETA instead. GOV.UK's "Check if you need a UK visa" tool gives the answer for your passport.

Some people need neither:

• British and Irish citizens, including dual citizens. A dual British or Irish citizen cannot get an ETA and has to travel on a British or Irish passport, or with a certificate of entitlement.
• People who already hold UK permission: a UK visa, permission to live, work or study in the UK, or settled or pre-settled status.
• Residents of Ireland who would otherwise need an ETA, when travelling to the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man. You may need to show proof that you live in Ireland.
• Airside transit passengers who change planes without passing through UK border control. If you go through passport control to connect, you need an ETA.

A visa-exempt national can still choose to apply for a Standard Visitor visa. GOV.UK suggests it if you have a criminal record or have been refused entry to the UK before, because an ETA refusal cannot be appealed and sends you to the visa route anyway.

The ETA follows your passport

An ETA is tied to the passport you applied with, and you must travel on that passport. It ends on the second anniversary of the grant or when that passport expires, whichever comes first. A new passport means a new ETA.

Within its validity, an ETA covers any number of visits. It does not extend how long each visit can last.

What neither one allows

An ETA and a Standard Visitor visa both lead to the same thing: permission to enter as a visitor, decided by a Border Force officer on arrival. The visitor rules in Appendix Visitor apply equally to both, so on either document you cannot:

• stay longer than 6 months on one visit
• do paid or unpaid work for a UK company or as self-employed, except for permitted paid engagements and a few similar exceptions
• claim public funds
• live in the UK through frequent or successive visits, or make it your main home
• marry, form a civil partnership, or give notice of either; that needs a Marriage/Civil Partnership Visitor visa

The fourth point is where regular visitors get caught. There is no published number of days per year, but a pattern of long, back-to-back visits can lead to refusal at the border, and GOV.UK warns that a long-term visit visa may be cancelled if your travel history shows you repeatedly living in the UK for extended periods. How that assessment works is covered in the UK Standard Visitor "180-day rule".

Beyond the entry document

The ETA or visa gets you to the border; it does not decide how the UK treats the time you spend there. Long stays can make you UK tax resident under the Statutory Residence Test, which counts days on its own rules, and staying past the date on your permission is an overstay with its own consequences, set out in overstaying a visa or stay limit. The UK is also separate from the Schengen area: UK days do not count toward the Schengen 90/180 rule, and a Schengen visa does not cover the UK.

AtlasDays counts every UK visit automatically

Log your trips once. The UK Standard Visitor preset counts the days of your current visit from the entry date against its 180-day limit, privately on your iPhone, whether you came in on an ETA or a visa, and keeps the dated record of past visits a Border Force officer may ask about.

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FAQ

Is a UK ETA a visa?

No. An ETA is a digital permission to travel, linked to your passport. It lets a visa-exempt national board transport to the UK and ask for entry as a visitor. A Border Force officer still decides on arrival whether to let you in.

How much does a UK ETA cost and how long is it valid?

As of September 2026 an ETA costs £20, up from £16 on 8 April 2026. It is valid for 2 years from the grant or until the passport you applied with expires, whichever is sooner, and covers any number of visits of up to 6 months each.

Can I stay longer in the UK with a visa than with an ETA?

Not for an ordinary visit. Both allow up to 6 months per visit under the same visitor rules. A long-term Standard Visitor visa is valid for 2, 5 or 10 years, but each stay is still limited to 6 months. Only specific cases, such as private medical treatment or some academic visits, can be granted longer.

Do EU citizens need an ETA to visit the UK?

Yes. EU citizens have needed an ETA to travel to the UK since 2 April 2025, unless they are also British or Irish citizens or already hold UK permission, such as settled or pre-settled status.

About this article: AtlasDays provides general information, not legal, tax, or immigration advice. Rules change and outcomes depend on your circumstances, so never rely on it alone: check the linked official source or ask a qualified professional.