Assailed since its opening yesterday to European travelers, the UK ETA system has faced some technical difficulties… To avoid a complete blockage, the authorities have set up a digital queue, slowing down access but ensuring smooth management of requests.
Since it opened to European citizens yesterday, the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system has seen a massive influx of applications.
Faced with this rush, authorities have had to set up a digital queue to manage the overload of the portal and avoid widespread blockages.
ETA platform stormed upon launch
The ETA, a system introduced by the United Kingdom to regulate the entry of visa-exempt travelers, is now available to European citizens. However, the enthusiasm for this new system has far exceeded the authorities’ expectations. In just 24 hours, tens of thousands of applications have been submitted, causing slowdowns on the official website and the dedicated mobile application.
In order to avoid outages and interruptions, the British government has implemented a digital queue. This mechanism regulates the flow of connections by placing visitors in a virtual queue when the number of simultaneous users exceeds a certain limit.
How does this digital queue work?
When visitors try to access the ETA portal during peak periods, they are redirected to a page indicating the estimated time before reaching the application form. This wait time can be up to 25 minutes.
The message displayed states:
This service is very busy at the moment. You are in a queue to start. When you reach the front of the queue you will have 25 minutes to start your application. If you close this window, you will lose your place in the queue.
A measure that’s here to stay?
This digital queue, while meant to be temporary, could remain in place if demand continues to surge in the coming days. With the ETA now mandatory for EU travellers to the UK from 2 April 2025, it is likely that the volume of applications will remain high in the short term.
“This expansion follows the successful rollout of ETAs to all eligible non-European nationals last year, which includes visitors from the USA, Canada and Australia who now need an ETA to travel. Almost 1.1 million visitors have been issued with ETAs and will benefit from smoother, easier travel to the UK for short trips in the future,” the UK Home Office explained.
The authorities advise applicants to plan ahead and submit their applications several weeks in advance to avoid any inconvenience.
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) in brief
The ETA (Electronic Travel Authorisation) is a new system introduced by the United Kingdom for visa-exempt travellers, including European citizens. It allows entry into the UK for short-term stays.
📌 Price: £10 (around €/$13, including bank charges), with a possible increase to £16 soon.
📌 Processing time: usually within a few minutes but can be up to 72 hours.
📌 Validity: 2 years or until the expiry of the passport used for the application.
📌 Authorized length of stay: up to 6 months for tourism, business or short-term study.
📌 Procedure: the application is made online via the official website or the “UK ETA” mobile application. The traveler must provide a copy of their passport, a passport photo, some personal information and pay the fee.
📌 Exceptions: Irish citizens, people with a visa or British residence status (settled/pre-settled) as well as French school groups do not need an ETA.
