{ "$schema": "https://govschema.org/spec/v0.3/govschema.schema.json", "govschemaVersion": "0.3.0", "id": "gb/homeoffice/eta-application", "version": "1.1.0", "title": "United Kingdom Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)", "description": "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).", "status": "draft", "jurisdiction": { "country": "GB", "level": "national" }, "authority": { "name": "UK Home Office", "abbreviation": "Home Office", "url": "https://www.gov.uk/eta" }, "process": { "type": "application", "language": "en-GB" }, "source": { "url": "https://www.gov.uk/eta", "retrievedAt": "2026-07-01", "documentRef": "UK ETA" }, "verification": { "method": "manual-source-review-v1", "lastVerifiedAt": "2026-07-01", "verifiedBy": "GovSchema Engineering", "nextReviewBy": "2027-01-01", "notes": "Source-derived reference schema opening the Visa vertical alongside the published ca/ircc/eta-application and us/cbp/esta-application. gov.uk/eta and gov.uk/eta/apply render as a thin JavaScript shell that does not expose the application's screen-by-screen field list, and the UK ETA app/apply-for-an-eta.homeoffice.gov.uk flow itself was not scraped directly (same access constraint as the sibling ESTA document). The field model was authored primarily from the official Home Office 'Electronic Travel Authorisation: caseworker guidance' publication on gov.uk (which states the suitability/refusal grounds, some in near-verbatim self-declaration wording, e.g. the criminal-conviction questions) plus the gov.uk overview/apply pages and the April 2026 Home Office factsheet for eligibility, fee, validity, and required-documents facts; the immigration-history and non-conducive grounds were cross-checked against secondary practitioner summaries for consistency, not read directly off the live form. Status remains 'draft' pending a field-by-field pass against the live, authenticated application. See VERIFICATION.md." }, "license": "CC-BY-4.0", "fields": [ { "name": "lastName", "label": "Last name (surname)", "type": "string", "required": true, "description": "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.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — passport details", "validation": { "minLength": 1, "maxLength": 80 } }, { "name": "firstName", "label": "First name(s) (given names)", "type": "string", "required": true, "description": "Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. As it appears on the passport.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — passport details", "validation": { "minLength": 1, "maxLength": 80 } }, { "name": "dateOfBirth", "label": "Date of birth", "type": "date", "classification": "sensitive-pii", "required": true, "description": "Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Full date, YYYY-MM-DD, as it appears on the passport.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — passport details" }, { "name": "nationality", "label": "Nationality", "type": "string", "required": true, "description": "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.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — who needs one / who is exempt", "validation": { "minLength": 1, "maxLength": 60 } }, { "name": "passportNumber", "label": "Passport number", "type": "string", "classification": "sensitive-pii", "required": true, "description": "Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. From the passport's biographic (photo) page.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — passport details", "validation": { "minLength": 1, "maxLength": 20 } }, { "name": "passportIssueDate", "label": "Passport issue date", "type": "date", "required": true, "description": "Full date, YYYY-MM-DD, from the passport's biographic page.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — passport details" }, { "name": "passportExpiryDate", "label": "Passport expiry date", "type": "date", "required": true, "description": "Full date, YYYY-MM-DD. The passport must be biometric. An ETA cannot be valid beyond this date.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — passport details, valid biometric passport requirement" }, { "name": "email", "label": "Email address", "type": "string", "required": true, "description": "Personal identifier; handle as sensitive data. Used to send the ETA decision and any updates.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — how to apply, required items", "validation": { "minLength": 3, "maxLength": 160 } }, { "name": "facialPhoto", "label": "Photo of your face", "type": "file", "required": true, "description": "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.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — how to apply, photo/face scan requirement" }, { "name": "passportBiographicPagePhoto", "label": "Photo of your passport's biographical page", "type": "file", "required": true, "description": "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.", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — how to apply, passport photo requirement" }, { "name": "plannedArrivalDate", "label": "Expected date of arrival in the UK", "type": "date", "required": false, "description": "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).", "sourceRef": "UK ETA — travel details (secondary source)" }, { "name": "convictedOfCrimeInLast12Months", "label": "Have you been convicted of a crime in the last 12 months?", "type": "boolean", "required": true, "description": "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.", "sourceRef": "Electronic Travel Authorisation caseworker guidance — criminality suitability grounds" }, { "name": "custodialSentenceOver12Months", "label": "Have you ever had a prison sentence of more than 12 months?", "type": "boolean", "required": true, "description": "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.", "sourceRef": "Electronic Travel Authorisation caseworker guidance — criminality suitability grounds" }, { "name": "warCrimesTerrorismOrExtremismInvolvement", "label": "Have you ever been involved in, or suspected of involvement in, war crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity, terrorism, or extremism?", "type": "boolean", "required": true, "description": "Mandatory suitability self-declaration. Failing to disclose involvement where Home Office records indicate otherwise is itself a non-conducive refusal ground.", "sourceRef": "Electronic Travel Authorisation caseworker guidance — non-conducive / security grounds" }, { "name": "subjectToExclusionOrDeportationDecision", "label": "Are you currently subject to a deportation order, an exclusion order, or a decision to make a deportation order against you?", "type": "boolean", "required": true, "description": "Mandatory suitability self-declaration. Includes a personal exclusion direction made by the Secretary of State. An ETA must be refused if true.", "sourceRef": "Electronic Travel Authorisation caseworker guidance — exclusion/deportation suitability grounds" }, { "name": "previousUkImmigrationBreach", "label": "Have you previously overstayed, breached the conditions of, entered illegally under, or used deception in connection with, any permission to enter or stay in the UK?", "type": "boolean", "required": true, "description": "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.", "sourceRef": "Electronic Travel Authorisation caseworker guidance — immigration history suitability grounds" }, { "name": "previouslyRefusedOrCancelledUkTravelPermission", "label": "Have you ever had a UK ETA cancelled, or been refused a UK visa or entry as a visitor?", "type": "boolean", "required": true, "description": "Mandatory suitability self-declaration. The guidance notes limited exceptions for a prior visitor refusal; describe any such exception when answering true.", "sourceRef": "Electronic Travel Authorisation caseworker guidance — additional suitability grounds" } ], "steps": [ { "id": "passport_and_personal_details", "title": "Passport and personal details", "fields": [ "lastName", "firstName", "dateOfBirth", "nationality", "passportNumber", "passportIssueDate", "passportExpiryDate" ], "next": "photo_and_contact" }, { "id": "photo_and_contact", "title": "Photo, passport scan, and contact details", "fields": ["email", "facialPhoto", "passportBiographicPagePhoto", "plannedArrivalDate"], "next": "suitability_declaration" }, { "id": "suitability_declaration", "title": "Suitability and background declaration", "fields": [ "convictedOfCrimeInLast12Months", "custodialSentenceOver12Months", "warCrimesTerrorismOrExtremismInvolvement", "subjectToExclusionOrDeportationDecision", "previousUkImmigrationBreach", "previouslyRefusedOrCancelledUkTravelPermission" ] } ] }