As we first reported back in September last year, from today citizens of Singapore, along with those from countries like Malaysia, Australia, Canada, the USA and South Korea, are required to apply online for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK.

This permit, costing £10 (~S$17), is mandatory even for travellers transiting through the UK without clearing immigration or leaving the airport, like those heading to Houston via Manchester on Singapore Airlines (you’ll probably need a S$29 US ESTA too for this routing!).

Applications for the ETA opened for this latest batch of nationalities back in late November 2024, and for departures from Changi, Singapore Airlines will now be checking that you hold a valid ETA, or have at least applied for one, before issuing you a boarding pass to London, Manchester or Houston.

If you’re late to the news, here’s a recap on how the UK ETA works.

UK ETA: Key points

• Loosely modelled on the US ESTA system.
• Not a visa – but merely a travel authorisation, issued to those already eligible to enter the UK visa-free, including Singapore citizens travelling for tourism visits or work trips.
• Singaporeans can continue to travel to the UK visa-free for up to six months at a time, even now that the ETA is mandatory. It’s just an added complication.
• Cost: GBP10 (~S$17) per person – no exceptions – even infants need an ETA.
• Electronically linked to your passport once issued – no paperwork is required and there is no need to carry a confirmation with you.
• Valid for multiple trips over a two-year period from issue, or until your passport expires, whichever comes sooner.
• No need to reapply before each trip you take to the UK, nor provide details of any trips you take to the UK, while you hold a valid ETA liked to the same passport.
• Where you start your journey to the UK is irrelevant – only your nationality affects the requirement for an ETA. How you enter the UK is also irrelevant – whether by air, boat or train – an ETA is required.
• Approval takes up to three working days, but most come through within minutes.
• You can travel to the UK if your ETA application has been submitted, but approval is still pending.
• An ETA does not guarantee entry to the UK – this is still assessed by border officials on arrival.

See this full list of nationalities that require an ETA, both now and in the future (even EU citizens will need one from April 2025).

How to apply

Application for an ETA is via one of the following methods:

• The UK ETA app on the Apple app store
• The UK ETA app on Google Play
• The UK government online portal

You will need to upload a photo of yourself and the passport you will use to visit the UK, and answer some questions about yourself, but you will not be asked any questions about your trip.

The following video explains the process, clearly highlighting the mobile app as the UK’s preferred method for submitting your application.

Beware of ‘scam’ websites!

Be cautious of websites that charge extra fees to process an ETA application on your behalf.

Many scam websites, like etauk.co.uk, rank highly in Google search results and charge exorbitant fees – a whopping £78 (~S$133) per person in this example.

We won’t link to the site here – you can easily find it if you’re curious – but suffice to say that it is professionally designed to appear completely legitimate. Only by reading the fine print can you discern that it’s not the official ETA portal – in fact it’s a company based in Dubai.

In fairness, labelling these as “scam” websites might be slightly harsh. In most cases, they will secure a legitimate ETA on your behalf. However, they simply use the official portal to process the application and then charge you many, many times more than the actual cost of doing so.

While this practice isn’t illegal, these companies essentially masquerade as official platforms, then act as intermediaries on your behalf, and charge nearly eight times what you should be paying. Perhaps it’s more aptly described as a “rip-off”.

There’s also the concern of entrusting your personal information, such as passport details and payment information, to these companies, especially if you (understandably) believe them to be the official government application portal.

Surprisingly, even Singapore Airlines partners with a site (visacentral.sg) that charges at least S$65 for a UK ETA application, nearly four times the cost of you doing so directly. However, SIA does also link to the official UK ETA application page a bit further down this page on its website.

Once again, just stick purely to these official application links:

• The UK ETA app on the Apple app store
• The UK ETA app on Google Play
• The UK government online portal

Exemptions

British and Irish citizens and individuals who hold a valid UK immigration permission (including some Singaporeans), like an employment visa or long-term study visa, are not required to apply for an ETA before travelling.

Nationals of most European countries do not need an ETA to travel to the UK until 2nd April 2025. Those citizens can apply from 5th March 2025 onwards.

Urgent trips

If you need to travel to the UK urgently, for example due to a family emergency, don’t worry.

Although you must apply for an ETA before you depart, a process that only takes a few minutes, you can then travel to the UK while waiting for a decision, unlike some other schemes like the US ESTA which require advance approval in order for you to be able to board your flight.

If you are in this situation and a quick approval does not come through, you can still travel to the UK.

Remember to use the eGate on arrival

The requirement for an ETA to enter the UK doesn’t change the fact that Singapore citizens are on the list of of 11 non-EU nationalities eligible to use the eGate entry lanes at UK airports.

That means as a Singapore citizen you’ll likely continue to be able to enter the UK without even speaking to an immigration officer at all, even after the ETA is implemented.

The UK does not have exit immigration, in common with some other countries including Canada, the USA and Ireland, so it’s just security to worry about at the airport on your way out of the country at the end of your trip – not even an eGate to contend with.

Singaporeans now need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) to enter the UK, at a cost of around S$17 per person, including infants and children.

Be sure to apply via the official UK ETA app or Government app or website, since there are many other sites out there charging additional fees to apply on your behalf – up to eight times the actual amount in some cases.

Remember, even if you are merely transiting through a UK airport on an international itinerary, an ETA will still be required – this includes Singapore Airlines passengers heading to Houston via Manchester.

(Cover Photo: Shutterstock)