United Kingdom entry requirements for U.S. citizens

What you need to enter the United Kingdom

For a tourist visit, the answer is: Electronic travel authorization (ETA) required¹. You must have the approval before you travel.

Every person in a travel group needs a separate ETA, including babies and children.⁵ An approved ETA covers multiple trips for 2 years, or until the linked passport expires if that comes first.⁶

You apply on the official UK government page, www.gov.uk⁴, which also links to the UK ETA app. If your situation is unusual, the official site decides which document you need: check it, or ask an immigration attorney.

Entry rules change often, and the UK government decides who may enter. Check the official site before you travel.

How long you can stay

Each tourist visit can last up to 6 months³. Plan your return date inside that limit.

Passport rules

The passport must remain valid for the whole time the traveler is in the UK.⁷

Your ETA is linked to the passport you used to apply. If your passport needs renewing, renew it first and then apply for the ETA with the new one. See Renew your U.S. passport by mail.

Short on time? If you travel internationally soon, you can book an appointment at a passport agency or center once you are within 14 calendar days of your trip, or 28 days if you also need a foreign visa.⁸ Read Urgent travel: getting a passport fast.

Travel advisory

The U.S. Department of State rates the United Kingdom at Level 2: Exercise Increased Caution⁹. Advisories can change at any time, so read the current one before you book and again before you leave.

Step by step

Checklist

Before you fly to the United Kingdom

Print checklist

• U.S. passport valid for your whole stay
• ETA approved by email for every traveler, children included
• ETA requested with the passport you will travel with
• Return date within the allowed stay
• Current travel advisory read

Do and don't

Do

• Apply only through the official UK government site or the UK ETA app.
• Apply early. A decision usually arrives by email within one day but can take up to 3 working days, and travel should wait until approval is confirmed.¹⁰
• Keep the approval email until you are back home.

Don't

• Don't treat approval as certain: wait for the confirmation email before you fly.
• Don't pay a website that offers to apply for you. You can apply yourself on the official site.
• Don't use this guide for a work or study trip; check the official site for those.

Fees

This is a government fee. It is paid to the UK government, not to Passmere. Passmere does not process visas or travel authorizations.

The fee is not refunded. The official site shows the current fee before you pay.

Frequently asked questions