UK ETA outage June 2026: what went wrong and the lesson

The UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation system suffered a significant outage on 3 June 2026, leaving some travellers unable to get the approval they needed to travel. There were reports of passengers denied boarding because their applications were stuck in processing rather than approved. The Home Office has confirmed it had issues with the ETA system and says they have been resolved. But the episode is worth understanding, because the same vulnerability sits inside every pre-travel authorisation system, including ETIAS when it launches.

What went wrong on 3 June?

Applicants met “system is busy” errors, with queue waits of more than an hour. Some of those who did submit found their applications stuck in processing rather than producing an approval. An email saying the application was received counted for nothing at the boarding gate: official guidance says you must wait for the email confirming you have an ETA before you travel.

The UK government’s own slogan for the scheme is “no permission, no travel”. Carriers check passengers before they travel, and since 20 March 2026 they can be fined for carrying someone without an ETA or other permission. A processing screen is not permission.

Who needs a UK ETA, and what does it cost?

From 25 February 2026, visitors from 85 nationalities who do not need a visa, including the United States, Canada and France, cannot legally travel to the UK without an ETA. Australians and most other European nationalities are covered too. British and Irish citizens are exempt. The ETA costs £20, lasts two years or until the passport expires, whichever is sooner, and covers as many trips as you like of up to six months each. You apply through the official UK government site at gov.uk/eta or the UK ETA app.

If you are planning a trip to Europe rather than the UK, the relevant system is ETIAS, not UK ETA. The two are run by different governments and cover different destinations entirely.

How early should you apply?

The UK government recommends allowing three working days. Most people get a decision automatically in minutes, and that speed tempts travellers to apply the day before, or even on the morning of departure. The June outage is a direct argument against that habit.

• System trouble. A portal that slows down or fails leaves last-minute applicants with no way round it. That is what happened on 3 June.
• Additional review. A small number of applications need extra checks rather than automatic approval, which is why the government says to allow three working days. If it happens the night before your flight, you have no buffer.
• Input errors.Entering a passport number incorrectly means starting again. With a week to spare that’s a minor inconvenience. On departure day it can cost you the trip.

What to do if the outage caught you out

If you missed travel because of the June portal failure, contact your carrier about rebooking and check your travel insurance, but do not count on a payout: law firm Mayer Brown notes that most policies will not reimburse travellers denied boarding for not having an ETA. Keep all documentation, including screenshots of any error messages and your application reference number.

Why this matters for ETIAS too

ETIAS is the EU’s pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors to 30 European countries. It is not in operation yet, and press reporting on EU planning points to 2027. Like the UK ETA, it will be applied for online before departure, linked to your passport, and checked by carriers before you board. The enforcement model is similar, although ETIAS starts with optional and grace periods.

When ETIAS launches, its portal is likely to face a surge from travellers who have never heard of it and are trying to apply at the last minute. The UK ETA outage is a useful preview of what that looks like at scale. Apply well before your trip. Use the ETIAS checker now to confirm whether your nationality will need one, so you are not surprised when the system opens.