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UK ETA: Indian passport holders need a UK visa instead

The UK’s electronic travel authorisation is only for nationalities that can visit without a visa. India is not on that list, so a UK visa is still what you apply for.

Visabnb team

The UK’s electronic travel authorisation, or ETA, lets visitors of certain nationalities travel to the UK without a visa — among them people from Europe, the USA, Australia and Canada. Each person travelling needs their own ETA, including babies and children.

Indian passport holders

India is not on the list of nationalities that can get an ETA. GOV.UK says other nationalities cannot get an ETA, and should check whether they need a visa instead. For a visit on an Indian passport, that is a UK visa, applied for before you travel.

When you do not need an ETA

  • You already have a UK visa.
  • You have permission to live, work or study in the UK.
  • You are changing planes at a UK airport without passing through border control (airside).

Whether a traveller in transit needs a transit visa depends on their nationality and route. Check on GOV.UK before you book a journey through the UK.

Visa pages for these countries

Official sources

  1. Check when you can get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) — GOV.UK
  2. When you do not need an ETA — GOV.UK
  3. Check if you need a UK visa — GOV.UK

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