Registry entry

United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)

Apply for a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), required for most visa-exempt visitors travelling to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, or the Isle of Man for up to 6 months (tourism, family visits, and other short-term purposes). Fee GBP 20; valid for multiple journeys over up to 2 years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner; most applications via the UK ETA app or gov.uk decide automatically within minutes. This document models an eligible visitor applying for themselves: passport and personal details, photo/biometric capture, and the mandatory suitability/background self-declaration. Out of scope: applications made by a parent/guardian or representative on behalf of someone else, and the separate, more involved gb/ukvi/standard-visitor-visa process for nationals who need a full visa rather than an ETA. It does not submit the application; the live gov.uk/eta source is always authoritative (see VERIFICATION.md).

Registry entry

gb/homeoffice/eta-application

Jurisdiction
United Kingdom · national
Version
1.1.0
Verification
draft
Authority
UK Home Office

GovSchema spec v0.3

Authoritative source UK ETA

Machine access

Schema document
registry/gb/homeoffice/eta-application/1.1.0/schema.jsonapplication/schema+json
Registry catalog
registry/index.jsonone record per schema id

Field reference

17 fields across 3 steps, read from the published schema.json — names, types, requiredness, and validation as the document states them. The live government form remains the authoritative source.

Passport and personal details

  • lastName string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. As it appears on the passport used to travel; captured from the passport's biographic page scan during application.

    length: 1–80
  • firstName string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. As it appears on the passport.

    length: 1–80
  • dateOfBirth date required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Full date, YYYY-MM-DD, as it appears on the passport.

    classification: sensitive-pii
  • nationality string required

    Nationality shown on the passport. Determines eligibility: British and Irish citizens do not need an ETA, and a national of a country whose citizens require a full visa is not eligible to apply for an ETA instead.

    length: 1–60
  • passportNumber string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. From the passport's biographic (photo) page.

    length: 1–20classification: sensitive-pii
  • passportIssueDate date required

    Full date, YYYY-MM-DD, from the passport's biographic page.

  • passportExpiryDate date required

    Full date, YYYY-MM-DD. The passport must be biometric. An ETA cannot be valid beyond this date.

Photo, passport scan, and contact details

  • email string required

    Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Used to send the ETA decision and any updates.

    length: 3–160
  • facialPhoto file required

    A plain-background photo (or live face scan via the UK ETA app) of the person applying. Applicants aged 9 and under are not required to complete the live face scan step, per the application guidance.

  • passportBiographicPagePhoto file required

    A photo or scan of the passport page bearing the applicant's photo and biographic details, used to auto-populate passport and personal details in the app/online form.

  • plannedArrivalDate date optional

    Full date, YYYY-MM-DD, if known. Specific flight details are not mandatory. Sourced from secondary application-walkthrough summaries rather than the primary gov.uk overview pages; treat as lower-confidence pending direct confirmation against the live form (see VERIFICATION.md).

Suitability and background declaration

  • convictedOfCrimeInLast12Months boolean required

    Mandatory suitability self-declaration. An ETA must be refused where the applicant has any conviction, in the UK or overseas, within the last 12 months.

  • custodialSentenceOver12Months boolean required

    Mandatory suitability self-declaration. An ETA must be refused where the applicant has ever received a custodial sentence of 12 months or more, in the UK or overseas, for any conviction.

  • warCrimesTerrorismOrExtremismInvolvement boolean required

    Mandatory suitability self-declaration. Failing to disclose involvement where Home Office records indicate otherwise is itself a non-conducive refusal ground.

  • subjectToExclusionOrDeportationDecision boolean required

    Mandatory suitability self-declaration. Includes a personal exclusion direction made by the Secretary of State. An ETA must be refused if true.

  • previousUkImmigrationBreach boolean required

    Mandatory suitability self-declaration grouping several distinct refusal grounds from the caseworker guidance (overstaying, breach of conditions, illegal entry without a later knowledge-based grant of permission, deception in an immigration application), since the live form's exact per-question wording for each was not independently confirmed. The guidance carves out limited exceptions for short historic overstays (90 days or less before 2017; 30 days or less from 2017); describe any such exception when answering true.

  • previouslyRefusedOrCancelledUkTravelPermission boolean required

    Mandatory suitability self-declaration. The guidance notes limited exceptions for a prior visitor refusal; describe any such exception when answering true.

Version history

Independent and non-affiliated

GovSchema is an independent, open-source project. This reference is not produced, reviewed, or endorsed by UK Home Office or any government. The authoritative source is always the live government form and its official instructions.