Visas and immigration 3

What is an Electronic Travel Authorisation? What is an eVisa? Your questions – answered

August 04, 2025

We are aware that there is some confusion amongst international students about eVisas and Electronic Travel Authorisations (ETAs). Although an ETA and an eVisa may sound similar in nature, the two are very different. As a result, it’s important to understand the difference between the two, and take care when applying for either. 

In this article, we will address some common misconceptions around these parts of the immigration system, give guidance on how to navigate them, and provide advice on travelling in and out of the UK. 

 

An eVisa is a digital representation of your immigration permission for the UK. In the past, if you held permission under the Student route you would likely have been issued a Biometric Residence Permit (BRP) which was a physical card representing your Student permission. BRPs were discontinued on 31 October 2024, and now all Student permission holders will have an eVisa instead. Your eVisa is accessed through your UKVI account and outlines your personal details and the details of your permission.  

You can find out more details about setting up a UKVI account in order to access your eVisa from the relevant gov.uk webpage, and also from UKCISA’s eVisa webpage. 

An ETA permits certain individuals to travel to the UK. It is issued digitally and must be applied for in advance of travel to the UK.  

A successful application for an ETA means you have only been granted permission to travel to the UK, but you have not been granted immigration permission, it does not guarantee entry. As a result, following your arrival in the UK, you would also need to apply for permission to enter the UK.  

Only the following two groups of people are eligible to obtain an ETA: 

  • Those who wish to enter the UK as a Visitor; or 

It should also only be used by those with specific nationalities.  

If you are eligible to obtain an ETA, you can find out further details about the cost of the application and application process through the gov.uk website. We also provide more detail on ETAs and visiting the UK on our Visitors webpage. 

An eVisa is a digital representation of your immigration permission (for example, under the Student route). An ETA is permission to travel to the UK for those seeking to visit the UK under specific categories and by specific nationalities. 

No. If you hold current immigration permission for the UK, you do not require an ETA and you should not apply for one. 

As a reminder, the eVisa is just a digital representation of your immigration permission – similar to how a BRP used to function. Therefore, as long as you are seeking to travel to the UK within the validity dates of your immigration permission as shown on your eVisa, then your eVisa is what you need when travelling. Although your eVisa alone should be sufficient, we understand that difficulties can arise (i.e. your phone may run out of battery, the eVisa system may be down, there may be errors with your eVisa). Therefore, we would recommend that if you are travelling out of the UK at any time, or are entering for the first time on your new permission, that you do the following: 

  • Print out and carry with you your decision letter provided to you when you received your decision from UKVI (check your junk/spam folders for this if you don’t remember receiving this) 

  • Check your eVisa thoroughly before travelling to the UK and seek to address any errors before travelling  

  • Get a share code prepared before you travel – it is possible you will be asked for this by your carrier or a Border Force officer 

If your carrier has problems viewing your eVisa, you can tell them to contact the UK Border Force carrier support hub for assistance. This hub is for carriers only, not passengers, but can help carriers directly to address issues with eVisa access.  

 

We have put together a video that breaks down the difference and clears up misconceptions. To learn more, watch our explainer video. 

To stay up to date on all the latest changes that affect international students, sign up to our newsletters and follow us on LinkedIn and Instagram.   

 

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