UK ETA for Barbados citizens
Barbadian nationals do not need a UK visa for short visits, but an ETA is now required before boarding any flight to the United Kingdom.
UK ETA for Barbados — key facts
- Barbadian citizens do need a UK ETA before travelling to the United Kingdom.
- The official UK Home Office fee is £20 per person, raised from £16 on 8 April 2026.
- An ETA is valid for 2 years or until the passport expires, allowing unlimited visits of up to 6 months each.
- Most decisions arrive within minutes, but the Home Office asks travellers to allow 3 working days.
- Every traveller needs their own ETA, including infants. There is no family application and no child discount.
- An ETA is not a visa and does not guarantee entry — a Border Force officer makes the final decision on arrival.
Verified against GOV.UK on 2026-08-28. UK ETA Gateway is a private agency, not the UK Government.
What Barbadian travellers need
- A biometric Barbados passport that will still be valid when you travel
- A digital photo meeting the GOV.UK standard
- An email address and a payment card
- Truthful answers on criminal convictions and past immigration refusals
You do not need flight bookings, hotel reservations, bank statements or an invitation letter.
Children and families
Every Barbadian traveller needs their own ETA, including infants, each at the full £20 official fee. We file whole families in one session so nobody is refused boarding while the rest of the party flies.
If you also hold another passport
Travel on the passport your ETA is linked to. If you also hold British or Irish citizenship you cannot apply for an ETA at all — use that passport instead.
Barbados at a glance
- ETA requiredYes
- Official Home Office fee£20
- Our service fee£29
- Total through us£49
- Validity2 years or passport expiry
- Maximum stay per visit6 months
- Typical decisionMinutes; allow 3 working days
- Number of entriesUnlimited
Or apply yourself at gov.uk/eta for £20.
Common questions from Barbados
How much does a UK ETA cost?
The official Home Office fee is £20 per person, which rose from £16 on 8 April 2026. Through us you pay £49 in total: the £20 official fee, which we pay to the Home Office on your behalf and never mark up, plus our £29 service fee for document checking, Arabic-language support and free resubmission if your application is refused for a correctable error. You are always free to apply yourself on GOV.UK and pay only £20.
How long does an ETA take to be approved?
Most applications get an automatic decision within minutes, and the Home Office says the great majority are decided within 3 working days. A minority are pulled for manual review and take longer. Apply at least 3 working days before you fly, and never book non-refundable travel on the assumption that your ETA will be granted.
I renewed my passport. Is my ETA still valid?
No. Your ETA is tied electronically to the passport you applied with. If you get a new passport you must apply for a new ETA, even if the old one had years left to run, and you must travel on the passport your ETA is linked to.
What happens if my ETA is refused?
The Home Office does not refund the official fee for a refused application, and neither we nor anyone else can change that. What we do: if the refusal is caused by an error in the information we submitted, we prepare and pay for a fresh application at our own cost. If the refusal is because of your immigration or criminal history, or because you were not eligible for an ETA at all, we refund our £29 service fee in full — see our Refund Policy. A refusal usually means you need to apply for a Standard Visitor visa, which we can also help with.
Do children and babies need their own ETA?
Yes. Every traveller needs their own ETA regardless of age, including newborns, and each one costs the full £20 official fee. A parent or guardian completes the application on the child's behalf. We file family groups together so nobody is left behind at check-in.