Let me tell you what I did wrong—maybe you can learn from my experience.
I submitted everything they asked for, and the system worked smoothly. It scanned my passport, recognized the data, accepted my photo, and processed my work and eligibility information.
Everything was done in just a few minutes. Then I reached the checkout—and got confused.
There was the standard government Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) fee of £16. But alongside that, there were four additional processing options, depending on how quickly you wanted the application handled—from standard (4 days) to emergency (2 hours). Each came with an extra cost, ranging from £79 to £185.
And here’s the catch: I couldn’t proceed to checkout unless I selected one of these.
What the hell is this?
I started reading through the information pages, including the small print—but nowhere did it mention any fees beyond the £16.
Then it hit me: This isn’t the official site!
It turned out to be a private, third-party service taking advantage of the newly introduced ETA system—something many people still aren’t familiar with.
Later I found this (rather hidden) statement:
“This website is a private, third-party ETA application data processing agency and is not affiliated in any way with the Government of the United Kingdom.“
If you Google “British ETA,” these kinds of agencies often appear at the top of the search results. They look professional, work smoothly, and even speak your language—likely thanks to AI-powered translation—but they charge significantly more than the official government ETA website.
Are they illegal?
No, not at all.
If you don’t speak English, they might even be helpful. But they’re definitely not transparent, as they don’t disclose the extra charges until the very last step.
Since then, I’ve applied for an ETA through the official UK government website (there’s a mobile app too). The process was nearly identical—but it only cost me £16. I received my approval email within minutes.
So be careful. Stay informed.
