Do You Need a New UK ETA After Replacing Your Passport?

Yes. A UK ETA is linked to the passport used in the application. If that passport expires or changes, GOV.UK says you need to apply for a new ETA before travelling with the new passport.

This guide was checked against current GOV.UK traveller guidance and the Immigration Rules on August 31, 2026.

A changed passport needs a new ETA

The official ETA checking service states that an ETA lasts for two years and is linked to the traveller's passport. It then gives the direct instruction: if the passport has expired or changed, the traveller needs to apply for a new ETA. Source 1

That covers a renewed or replacement passport. It also matters after a passport is lost, stolen, damaged, or replaced because personal details changed. The operational question is whether you will travel on the same passport specified in the ETA application.

The Immigration Rules state that an ETA confers permission to travel only when the holder uses the passport specified in the application. Source 2

Why the remaining two-year period does not transfer

The Immigration Rules provide that an ETA is valid for two years from grant or until the passport used in the application expires, whichever happens first. Source 2

GOV.UK describes the same limit on the application page. It also says the ETA is linked to the passport used to apply and that the traveller only needs to show that passport when travelling. Source 3

The validity period belongs to the authorisation connected to that document. It is not a transferable balance that moves automatically to another passport.

Do not travel on the new passport using the old ETA

Before departure, compare the passport you will present with the passport used for the ETA application. Check the document number, issuing country, expiry date, name, and date of birth.

If the passport changed, apply again using the new document and wait for the confirmation email. GOV.UK says you must wait until you receive an email confirming the ETA before travelling to the UK. Source 3

Do not rely on a screenshot of the old approval or the fact that its original two-year end date has not arrived. The new passport is a different travel document, and GOV.UK explicitly requires a new ETA when a passport expires or changes.

Can you update the old ETA instead?

The current GOV.UK checking service directs a traveller with an expired or changed passport to apply for a new ETA. It does not describe transferring the existing ETA to the replacement document. Source 1

The application page also says that if you need to change details in an application, you need to apply again. It states that submitted application fees are not refundable. Source 3

Use the new passport for the new application. Preserve the old decision email and application reference as part of your travel-permission history, but do not treat them as permission attached to the new document.

Timing a new application before travel

GOV.UK says applicants usually receive a decision by email within a day, but it can take up to three working days. It advises checking spam or junk mail and contacting UK Visas and Immigration if no decision arrives after three working days. Source 3

That published timeframe is not a promise that every decision will arrive by a particular flight. Apply after receiving the new passport and before committing to a travel plan that depends on the authorisation.

As of August 31, 2026, the official page states that an ETA application costs £20 and cannot be refunded after submission. Source 4

What to record after a passport replacement

Keep a document-change record that connects the old and new travel histories without confusing their permissions:

1. The old passport number and expiry date.
2. The reason and date it stopped being used.
3. The old ETA reference and decision date.
4. The new passport number, issue date, and expiry date.
5. The new ETA application date and reference.
6. The new ETA confirmation and expiry date.
7. The first journey made using the new passport.

Do not delete past trips merely because the passport has changed. Physical-presence history continues across passport renewals even though the ETA does not transfer.

Jetseen can keep one chronological travel record across document changes. Optional GPS-assisted entry is off by default. The app cannot read or update a Home Office ETA record.

A new ETA still does not guarantee entry

An ETA gives permission to travel to the UK border. The GOV.UK overview says it does not guarantee entry, and the Home Office caseworker guidance says the holder must still obtain permission to enter on arrival. Source 4

Keep actual UK arrival and departure dates separately from ETA validity. Read the UK ETA visitor day-tracking guide for that distinction.

Frequently asked questions

References

1. 1GOV.UK check your ETA service, retrieved August 31, 2026
2. 2Immigration Rules Appendix Electronic Travel Authorisation, ETA 4.3, retrieved August 31, 2026
3. 3GOV.UK ETA application page, retrieved August 31, 2026
4. 4GOV.UK ETA overview, retrieved August 31, 2026 and GOV.UK ETA application page, retrieved August 31, 2026