I recently applied for the UK ETA (Electronic Travel Authorization) on my way back to the US from India. I had a 14 hour layover and as per the new rules I am required to apply for a UK ETA if I am planning to leave the airport.
The UK ETA is valid for two years from the date of issue (or until your passport expires, whichever comes first), and it’s valid for multiple entries. After your UK ETA is approved, you can clear the e-gates when you arrive in the UK.
Awful UK ETA Smartphone App
The official UK ETA webpage encourages you to use the smartphone app and so I tried to complete the application via the UK ETA iPhone app. My progress stalled when the app asked me to to access the chip on my passport by opening the inside of the back cover page of the passport, and place the top the phone halfway down the inside of the back cover. I was unsuccessful despite moving my phone around multiple times.
UK ETA Webpage Application
UK ETA webpage application (link) is a lot easier than the app-based version, but it requires you to have pictures of your passport photos saved on a hard drive to upload to the site (you can use some smartphone programs to take a passport selfie and save to the hard drive).
UK ETA online application steps
Once you hit the “continue” button on the application page, it will ask you to provide an email address to send the verification code and eventually you will be able to upload the photos of your passport and a picture of your face from your hard drive (see images below).
Scanning your face with your computer vs. uploading a photo
You can decide on either method, based on your situation. I went with the upload method since I have both of our passport pictures saved on my computer for our recent Indian e-visa.
If you want to upload a picture, decline camera access on the UK ETA webpage
Once you decline camera access, you will arrive at the following screen (see image below), where you can click on “Continue without face scan” and then upload a photo of yourself.
What to do if your photo does not meet the requirements?
You may run into the following message about the photo not meeting the requirements (see below).
I simply chose, “Yes, I want to use this photo” and my application went through some standard questionnaire and eventually to the payment page (see images below).
Conclusion
Using the online UK ETA application, I was able to quickly upload the documents, reach the payment page, and pay with Google pay. The approval process was instant as I received the ETA application confirmation within a minute.