UK: 23.2 million ETAs issued in one year, Americans remain far ahead

Three months after reporting 25.1 million ETAs issued in the year ending March 2026, the UK Home Office has released a new snapshot of the program.

According to official statistics published on August 27, 2026, 23.2 million Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs) were granted between July 1, 2025, and June 30, 2026.

That is down from the 25.1 million recorded in the 12 months ending in March, although the decline needs to be viewed in the context of the ETA rollout timetable.

The Home Office notes that the authorization applies to visa-exempt travelers visiting the UK for a short stay who do not already hold UK immigration status. Since February 25, 2026, an ETA has been mandatory before departure for travelers who need one, and passengers without valid permission to travel may be denied boarding. The ETA can also be used for travel to Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Its fee was also increased in April 2026, from £16 to £20 per application.

Annual ETA volume falls, but issuances rebound in the second quarter

An analysis of detailed Home Office data shows that 23,177,486 ETAs were issued between July 2025 and June 2026, compared with 25,089,174 in the 12 months ending March 2026.

That represents a 7.6% decline between the two rolling 12-month periods.

However, the decrease does not necessarily point to a comparable drop in travel to the United Kingdom. The latest comparison excludes the second quarter of 2025, when ETA issuance surged following the program’s extension to European travelers.

Between April and June 2025, 8,005,497 ETAs were issued, compared with 6,093,809 between April and June 2026. That shift alone accounts for nearly all of the decline between the two annual periods.

More importantly, the latest quarterly figures actually show a rebound. After 5,608,553 ETAs were issued in the first quarter of 2026, the total climbed to 6,093,809 in the second quarter, an increase of about 8.7% in three months.

The Home Office notes that data from the first quarter of 2026 onward remains provisional.

Top 10 nationalities receiving the most UK ETAs

These are the 10 nationalities that received the most UK ETAs between July 2025 and June 2026:

The top three remain unchanged from three months earlier. US citizens continue to lead by a wide margin, while European nationalities occupy eight of the top 10 positions.

The Home Office says citizens of the European Union, together with nationals of the European Economic Area and Switzerland, now account for 63% of all ETAs granted. Calculations based on the detailed data put the figure at 14,661,068 authorizations, or 63.3% of the total.

Nearly 23.3 million ETA applications in 12 months

The statistics also distinguish between applications submitted and authorizations ultimately granted.

Between July 2025 and June 2026, 23,288,181 ETA applications were submitted.

Over the same period, the Home Office recorded 23,177,486 grants, 30,050 refusals and 82,465 rejected applications. However, a decision recorded in a particular quarter may relate to an application submitted during an earlier period, which explains why the number of decisions does not exactly match the number of applications filed.

Refusals therefore remain extremely rare compared with the overall volume processed.

Since its initial launch in October 2023, followed by its gradual expansion through March 2025, the ETA has become the main pre-travel requirement for visa-exempt visitors to the UK.

136.8 million arrivals in the UK

Beyond ETAs and visitor visas, the latest figures provide a broader picture of traffic at the UK border.

The United Kingdom recorded 136.8 million arrivals in the year ending June 2026, up 1% from the previous year. British nationals accounted for 57% of those movements.

Air travel accounted for 88% of arrivals, followed by rail at 7% and sea routes at 5%. Air arrivals are now 11% above pre-pandemic levels.

These figures should not, however, be compared directly with the number of ETAs or visas issued. A single ETA allows multiple trips during its validity period and can therefore be used more than once. Likewise, some travelers do not need either a new visa or an ETA if they already hold valid UK immigration status.

2.2 million visitor visas issued alongside the ETA program

The ETA does not replace UK visas for travelers whose nationalities remain subject to visa requirements.

The UK issued 2.2 million visitor visas in the 12 months ending June 2026, down 1% year over year. The figure also remains below the pre-pandemic peak of 2.4 million.

Indian nationals ranked first with 514,398 visitor visas issued, down 9% from a year earlier. Chinese nationals followed with 474,039 visas, while Turkish travelers ranked third with 244,894, up 18%.

The Home Office also points out that changes to ETA eligibility have affected some visa flows. Jordanian and Colombian nationals, who were previously eligible for the electronic authorization, must now obtain a visa to visit the UK.

Work, study and family visa issuances decline

Other UK immigration categories also recorded declines.

A total of 727,487 visas other than visitor or transit visas were issued, down 15% year over year. These included 385,974 study visas, 234,841 work visas, 57,590 family visas and 49,082 visas in other categories.

More specifically, the Home Office reported around 235,000 work visas granted, including dependents, down 18% from the previous year. Sponsored study visas fell 11% to about 383,000, while family visas declined 19% to roughly 58,000.

The statistics also show that 86,000 people applied for asylum, down 21% year over year, while 38,000 irregular arrivals were detected. Around 33,000 of those involved small-boat crossings, a decrease of 23%. At the same time, the number of returns from the UK rose 8% to approximately 41,000.