Australia to United Kingdom visa requirements

Australian ordinary passport holders need a UK ETA, not a visitor visa, for short visits. The ETA costs GBP 20 and allows visits of up to 6 months. Australian ordinary passport holders do not need a Standard Visitor visa for ordinary UK tourism, family visits, permitted business visits, or short study of up to 6 months. They do need a UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling, and Australians have been in the non-European ETA cohort required from 8 January 2025. The ETA costs GBP 20 from 8 April 2026, is linked to the passport used to apply, lasts 2 years or until that passport expires, and allows multiple journeys to the UK, Jersey, Guernsey, and the Isle of Man. GOV.UK says decisions usually arrive within a day, but travellers should allow up to 3 working days and wait for the approval email before travelling. Airside airport transit without passing UK border control is currently exempt from ETA; landside transit through border control requires an ETA. For work, marriage or civil partnership, living in the UK through frequent visits, or stays longer than 6 months, apply for the appropriate UK visa instead.