How to Answer Every Question on Your UK ETA Application

Here is how to answer every question on your UK ETA application, screen by screen, so you submit clean answers the first time. The form is short but strict: some questions auto-populate from your passport chip and just need verifying, while others (criminal history, security, immigration history) have specific thresholds and disclosure rules that decide whether your application clears automatically or gets sent for manual review.¹

Before You Start

Have your passport in hand, a plain light-colored wall or background for your photo, and the email address you check most often. If you are using the “UK ETA” app, your phone will read the passport’s biometric chip directly; if you are using the online form at GOV.UK, you upload photos of the passport data page and your face instead.² The questions are the same either way.

One thing to settle before you begin: you must travel to the UK on the same passport you use for this application. If you renew your passport before your trip, you have to apply again against the new document.³

Passport Scan and Auto-Filled Details

The first step in the app is a photo of the passport data page, followed by holding your phone against the passport cover so it can read the chip.⁴ Look for the small rectangular chip symbol on the cover. Place the top of your phone against the middle of the open passport and hold still until the app confirms a successful read.

Once the chip is read, the app fills in your name, date of birth, nationality, and passport number automatically. Do not skim this screen. Check every character of the passport number and the expiry date against the physical document. A typo here is the most common reason an application fails on identity checks, and you cannot edit the form after you submit.

Your Photo

The photo must be clear, in focus, and in color, taken against a plain light-colored background. No filters, no digital editing.⁵ The system uses facial recognition to match your photo to the image stored on your passport chip, so keep your face unobstructed and evenly lit.

Head coverings are only permitted for religious or medical reasons. The app will flag a photo that does not meet the standard requirements, but you can still submit it if a head covering applies to you.⁵

Address, Contact Details, and Other Nationalities

Give your current residential address, not a hotel or holiday address. The form also asks whether you hold any other nationalities. Answer accurately; dual nationality on its own does not affect the outcome.⁴

The email address you enter is where UK Visas and Immigration will send your decision, so use an inbox you actively monitor, not a work address you might lose access to. Add a phone number the Home Office can use if follow-up is needed.

The Employment Question

This trips people up more than it should. The form asks whether you have a job. If you do, provide your employer’s details. If you are retired, a student, unemployed, or otherwise not currently working, answer “No.” The question is about your current status, not your finances, and answering “No” will not hurt your application.

Criminal History: The Two Specific Questions

The suitability section is where careful reading matters most. On criminal history, the form asks two specific yes-or-no questions, and the thresholds are narrower than many applicants expect.¹ An ETA must be refused if either of these applies to you:

You were convicted of any criminal offence, in the UK or overseas, and received a prison sentence of 12 months or more.
You were convicted of any criminal offence, in the UK or overseas, and fewer than 12 months have passed since the date of conviction.

Answer honestly against those precise thresholds. These rules come from the ETA-specific suitability provisions in the Immigration Rules, not the general grounds for refusal that apply to visas, so the criminal-record bar for an ETA is not identical to the one for a standard visa application.¹ A conviction that falls outside both thresholds — for example, a fine three years ago, or a short custodial sentence served two years ago — does not require you to answer “yes” to these two questions.

War Crimes, Terrorism, and Extremist Organisations

A separate question asks whether you have been involved in, or suspected of involvement with, war crimes, terrorism, or extremist organisations.¹ A “yes” to any suitability question sends your application out of the automated queue and to a caseworker for manual review. You will need to give context: dates, locations, and a description of the circumstances. Manual review is not the same as automatic refusal.

Previous Immigration Issues

The application also covers your immigration history. If you have ever overstayed permission in any country, been deported, or been refused entry at a border, disclose it. The Home Office can refuse your ETA if your presence is judged not conducive to the public good based on your conduct, character, or associations, even where you fall below the criminal-conviction thresholds above.¹ The UK shares data with international partners, so a prior deportation from another country can surface during processing regardless of what you enter.

Why Honest Answers Matter

Refusal is mandatory when false representations are made or relevant facts are not disclosed. That rule applies even if the false information was not directly relevant to the decision, and even if you did not know it was false.¹ If you have something to disclose, disclose it. A “yes” answer triggers a human review; a hidden “yes” that later surfaces triggers a refusal.

Review and Declaration

Before payment, the app or website shows a summary of every field you completed. Read it in full. The passport number and expiry date deserve a second look because you cannot edit the application after submission. You then tick confirmation boxes stating that the information is truthful and that you understand the legal basis on which you are applying.

Only after you have checked the summary should you submit and pay.

If You Realize You Answered Something Wrong

You cannot edit an ETA application after submission. If you spot a significant error, particularly in the passport number, the safest route is to withdraw the pending application through your UKVI account and submit a fresh one with the correct answers.⁶ Whether any refund is available depends on the stage the application has reached when you cancel, and a cancellation cannot be reversed once submitted. Any refusal you receive is always made by a human caseworker rather than the automated system alone, and there is no right to appeal or request an administrative review of an ETA refusal.¹ If the rejection was purely an identity-verification failure, such as a bad passport scan, you can simply apply again.

1
GOV.UK. Electronic Travel Authorisation Caseworker Guidance
2
GOV.UK. Apply for an ETA
3
Home Office in the media. Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) Factsheet – April 2026
4
GOV.UK. Using the UK ETA App
5
GOV.UK. How to Take a Photo for a Visa Application or Permission
6
GOV.UK. Cancel Your Visa, Immigration or Citizenship Application