In April 2025, the UK introduced electronic travel authorisations (eTAs) that were required to get into the UK. These eTAs cost £16, and are required for everyone who is otherwise visa-exempt. Turnarounds for an eTA go from immediately to a few days, and the eTA system is integrated into the airline advanced passenger information (API) system, so airlines can see whether you have an eTA or not during your online check-in process.
I’m a visa holder in the UK, and I don’t need an eTA to get in and out of the UK. The eTA has no cost effect on those who hold visas to live, work and/or study in the UK, though unfortunately it does create hurdles for airlines and their IT systems. Here’s how.
You might not be able to online check-in for your flight to the UK
As aforementioned, the UK eTA has an integration with the airline API, so airlines will be able to see that your passport number doesn’t have an eTA attached. This means that you won’t be able to online check-in for a flight where the final destination is in the UK, and you’ll need to verify with an airport agent that you indeed are authorised to live and work there.
Who does this affect? Well, British Airways and multiple other carriers allow you to select a seat for free during online check-in. If you can’t online check-in, this means you’ll get last dibs for your preferred seat (unless you pay for it). At some airports, you might even need to queue at check-in in order to get your boarding pass, which could add another 30-45 minutes to your journey.
You will have to line up in order to get your boarding pass at the airport
Unfortunately, most airlines won’t let you put your visa details on during online check-in. Some airlines will “check you in” but not issue a boarding pass (e.g. most low-cost airlines), whereas some airlines won’t let you online check-in at all (e.g. I had this experience with British Airways).
You’ll have to pull your visa up at all stages of the ground experience
There are some airlines that have already done this prior to the eTA being phased in, though I’ve noticed that even after your boarding pass is issued (including when online check-in works in some instances), gate agents will still ask to see your visa, perhaps because their system can see that you don’t have an eTA. I had this happen to me on a flight from Prague to London, where I commented at the gate that my visa had already been checked, and the gate agent replied “double check”.
Expect to pull up your visa multiple times, especially if it’s an eVisa
You might have to explain to airport agents that you don’t need an eTA
Now, this is in the minority, though I’ve seen some unknowledgeable check-in agents in the past. In multiple cases, the person checking my visa has had to grab a supervisor before verifying that I don’t need an eTA. Usually this is a painless process, but don’t be jarred if a couple of people check your proof of residence before you’re cleared to check in.
Conclusion
The eTA has been in place for a couple of months now, and it doesn’t have any financial impact on those already living in the UK. However, operationally this is a negative for those who live and work in the UK on a visa, since airlines often don’t let you check-in online anymore. This usually has ramifications on seat selection (especially for those that allow free seat selection 48 hours before departure), as well as contributing to a less smooth ground experience at the airport.
What’s been your experience checking in since the eTA was introduced?
Do you use the evisa system? It is a nightmare to show your status to airline agents because they ask you to do it manually every time. As per the system, apparently the airline agents need to check it by using the code but they ask you to do it. Understandable because it is annoying but sometimes this system gives an error…. Ryanair is just bad when it comes to visa check but given that they announced that everybody needs to use to the online check in within this year, I am hoping the evisa system is integrated to the airline systems. Also hoping that Schengen new system is integrated to the airlines systems so that many people in the UK with Schengen visa can just get the mobile boarding pass when leaving the UK