Keskeiset asiat

Taiwanese citizens with an ID-numbered passport need a £20 UK ETA in 2026. See eligibility, cost, how to apply from Taiwan and what to expect at the border.

Taiwanese citizens need a UK ETA to visit Britain in 2026, provided their passport shows a personal ID number — the £20 authorisation is bought online and linked to that passport. Taiwan is a non-visa nationality for short UK stays, so the ETA replaced the old on-arrival check. Here is who qualifies, the cost, the application from Taiwan, and what the border looks like now.

TL;DR: A UK ETA for Taiwanese citizens is required for visits of up to six months. Your Taiwan passport must include a national ID number. The ETA costs £20, lasts two years or until the passport expires, and permits unlimited trips. Approval is often instant; leave three working days to be safe.

Quick facts for Taiwanese travellers Yksityiskohta (2026)
Tarvitsetko sitä? Yes, if your passport has an ID number
Maksu £20 per person (about TWD 830)
Voimassaolo 2 vuotta tai passin voimassaolon päättymiseen saakka
Maksimi oleskelu 6 kuukautta käyntiä kohti
Passi vaaditaan Biometric Taiwan passport with ID number
Päätöksentekoon kuluva aika Often minutes; allow 3 working days

Tärkeimmät tiedot yhdellä silmäyksellä:

  • Taiwan passport holders qualify for the ETA only if the passport contains a personal ID number (gov.uk/eta).
  • The fee moved to £20 on 8 April 2026, having been £16 before.
  • A single approval covers unlimited entries across two years, each stay lasting no more than six months.
  • Every person travelling needs their own ETA — there is no group application.
  • Applications go through the official UK ETA app or website, well before departure.

Want to confirm your route first? Start with the UK-entry-vaatimuksien checklist, then run your details through the gov.uk visa-tarkistaja.

Taiwan passport with ID number held by a traveller before a UK ETA application

Do Taiwanese citizens need a UK ETA?

Yes, with one condition: a UK ETA for Taiwanese citizens applies to anyone whose Taiwan passport carries a personal ID number, which covers the vast majority of ordinary passports. That ID number is what grants Taiwan its visa-free access to the UK. Without it, a passport does not qualify for the ETA and a visa would be needed instead.

The authorisation suits holidays, family visits and short business trips of up to six months. Longer study, employment or settlement fall outside it and require a visa. Travelling on two passports? See mitä passia käyttää, jos sinulla on kaksi ensin.

How much does a UK ETA cost for Taiwanese travellers?

Each Taiwanese traveller pays £20 for the ETA — roughly TWD 830 in mid-2026 — and that single fee unlocks two years of trips. The charge rose from £16 to £20 on 8 April 2026, so treat any lower figure as outdated. Families pay per person, with no bulk rate: two adults and two children come to £80.

Dig into the numbers with £20 UK ETA -maksu, täydellisen kustannusjaottelun ja hyväksytyt maksutavat. Charged much more than £20 somewhere? That is a red flag — read kuinka tunnistaa väärä ETA-verkkosivusto.

Ryhmä Tarvittavat UK ETAt Kokonaishinta
Yksinmatkailija 1 £20
Pari 2 £40
Neljänjäseninen perhe 4 £80

Traveller from Taiwan completing a UK ETA form on a laptop with a payment card

How to apply for a UK ETA from Taiwan

From Taiwan, the application takes around 15 minutes on the official app or website, using your ID-numbered passport and a card to pay. You enter passport details, add a photo, and answer short background questions. Decisions often arrive within the hour, yet the Home Office suggests planning for up to three working days.

Work through it like this:

  1. Confirm the passport. It must be biometric and carry a personal ID number. Not sure it is still valid? Tarkista, että passiasi on voimassa.
  2. Have your basics ready. A card, an email address, and the items in asiakirjat, joita tarvitset hakemukseen.
  3. Submit the form. Add your details, upload the photo, answer the questions and pay the £20.
  4. Follow the outcome. Use tarkista UK ETA -hakemuksesi tila; approval attaches to the passport by itself.

Official UK ETA app open on a phone during an application from Taipei

Rather hand the form to someone else? We can look over your answers and file the application for you — often asked for by families arranging a trip for elderly parents in Taichung or Kaohsiung who would sooner avoid the online steps. The itinerary stays yours; we simply stop the small slips that cause hold-ups.

What Taiwanese passport holders should know at the UK border

With an approved ETA, Taiwanese citizens clear the UK border at an ePassport gate or a Border Force desk, and the permission is verified digitally with no card to fill in. Anyone aged 8 or over can use the eGates found at the main airports. A scan of the chip and a face match confirm your ETA within moments.

Keep your onward ticket and accommodation details to hand. Extra questions are uncommon, though a brief chat about why you are visiting can happen on a first arrival. The gov.uk travel advice for Taiwan ja British Office Taipei pages are handy references before departure.

Ammattilaisten vinkki: Sort the ETA before buying flights. Most approvals come through fast, but a manual review can run to three working days — waiting on those tickets until you are cleared removes the only genuine risk.

Taiwanese traveller arriving at a UK airport heading toward the ePassport gates

Picture a Taipei family flying to London during the Lunar New Year break. Each of the four applies a fortnight ahead, pays £20, and is approved the same afternoon. Landing at Heathrow, they go straight to the eGates, tap their passports, and are through in a minute — the ETA quietly handled the paperwork weeks earlier.

Practical tips for Taiwanese travellers heading to the UK

Three simple moves head off almost every issue: apply ahead of time, use only the official channel, and make sure each traveller has an ETA of their own. None of this changes by destination — London, Manchester and Edinburgh follow identical rules.

Family from Taipei sightseeing in London after arriving in the United Kingdom

A final tip smooths a first visit: keep a screenshot of the approval email. Because the ETA is digital and bound to your passport, you almost never need to show it — but having it ready settles any question at the check-in desk in seconds.

Olemme riippumaton avustuspalvelu, emme valtion viranomainen. Voit hakea suoraan osoitteessa gov.uk (£20) tai käyttää tarkistus- ja tukipalveluamme.

Prefer expert eyes on it before paying? Our team checks and submits the ETA so nothing gets overlooked — a relief when you are booking on behalf of relatives who would rather not tackle the form.

Frequently asked questions: UK ETA for Taiwanese citizens

Do Taiwanese citizens need a UK ETA in 2026?

Yes, if the Taiwan passport contains a personal ID number. A UK ETA for Taiwanese citizens then covers stays of up to six months and links to that passport.

What if my Taiwan passport has no ID number?

Then it does not qualify for visa-free travel or the ETA, and you would need a UK visa instead. Check your eligibility with the gov.uk visa checker before booking.

How much is the UK ETA for Taiwanese passport holders?

The fee is £20 per person for two years. It rose from £16 on 8 April 2026, and every traveller pays the same amount (gov.uk/eta).

Can Taiwanese travellers work in the UK on an ETA?

No. The ETA is for tourism, family visits and short business trips. Employment or long courses require a visa, which the gov.uk visa checker will identify.

How quickly is the UK ETA approved for Taiwanese applicants?

Approvals often land within the hour. Even so, allow up to three working days, as some applications are held for extra checks.

Do Taiwanese children need their own ETA?

Yes. Each child, including infants, needs an individual ETA, applied for by a parent using the child’s passport.

Is the UK ETA a visa for Taiwanese citizens?

No. It is a travel authorisation, not a visa. Taiwanese passport holders with an ID number use it precisely because they already have visa-free access for short stays.

What happens without an ETA at the airport?

The airline can deny boarding under the “no permission, no travel” policy. Apply before you head to the airport, not on the day of the flight.


Kirjoittajasta
Kirjoittanut Oliver Stanmore, Travel Documentation Editor. Oliver on käsitellyt Britannian saapumisen vaatimuksia ja rajamuodollisuuksia vuodesta 2017 lähtien ja keskittyy tekemään UK ETA:sta helposti ymmärrettävää perheille, iäkkäille matkustajille ja ensikertaa hakeville. Lisää Oliver-tiedot.

Updated: 2026-10-11

Last updated: 2026-10-11 — verified against the gov.uk schedule.