Dubai Residency The UK's travel permit costs £20 now, and a UAE resident needs one for every trip
The Electronic Travel Authorisation is the UK's permission to travel for people who do not need a visa. It is not a visa; it is checked at boarding and at the border, and without it the airline does not let you on. Since 8 April 2026 it costs £20, up from £16.
Who needs it
Everyone who is travelling to the UK without a visa and is not a British or Irish citizen. GCC nationals have needed one since 22 February 2024, the first group the scheme covered. European, American, Australian and most other visa-free nationalities have since joined. A UAE resident whose passport needs a UK visa does not need an ETA; the visa does the job.
What it allows
Visits of up to six months for tourism, visiting family, business meetings or short study, and transit. It is valid for two years or until the passport expires, whichever is first, and covers multiple trips.
Every traveller
Every person needs their own, including babies and children. A family of four pays £80.
How to apply
In the UK ETA app or on GOV.UK: a passport scan, a photograph, a short set of questions, and the fee. GOV.UK says most applications are decided within three working days, often much faster, and advises applying before booking travel.
The rule that catches Dubai residents is the transit one. Changing planes at Heathrow on the way to the United States is a UK arrival for ETA purposes if you pass through the border, and for most itineraries you do; the airside transit exemption is narrower than people assume. The second trap is the passport: the ETA is tied to the document it was issued on, so a renewed passport means a new £20 application, however much time the old authorisation had left.
Source: GOV.UK, Apply for an electronic travel authorisation checked against the source
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Residence for GCC families
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