Quick answer
You need a UK ETA for a connection in the UK only if you pass through border control (landside transit), for example to collect bags, change airports or leave the terminal. If you stay airside and never reach border control, you do not need one. Your airline can tell you which applies.
Layover checker
On this page
Airside or landside: how to tell
| Your connection | Border control? | ETA needed? |
|---|---|---|
| Same airport, bags checked through, you stay in the transit area | No (airside) | No |
| You must collect and re-check your bags | Yes (landside) | Yes |
| You change airports, for example Heathrow to Gatwick | Yes (landside) | Yes |
| You stay overnight in a hotel outside the terminal | Yes (landside) | Yes |
| You want to leave the airport during a long layover | Yes (landside) | Yes |
Whether a connection is airside depends on the airport, the terminals and how your tickets were booked. Two separate bookings usually mean collecting your bags and going landside. Ask the airline before you travel.
If you already have an ETA
An ETA covers transit as well as visits, so one ETA is enough for a stopover and for a later holiday while it is valid. With an ETA you do not need a transit visa.
If your nationality cannot get an ETA
Travellers who need a visa to visit the UK may need a transit visa instead: a Direct Airside Transit visa if they stay airside, or a Visitor in Transit visa (£74.50) if they pass through border control and leave within 48 hours. Check the rule for your nationality on GOV.UK.
Connections to Ireland
A UK ETA is not valid for Ireland and is not needed to enter Ireland. If you fly to the UK first and then travel on to Ireland, you enter the UK and need an ETA like any other visitor.
Questions
Do babies need an ETA for a landside connection?
Yes. Every traveller who passes through border control needs one, whatever their age.
My layover is only two hours. Does that change anything?
No. What matters is whether you go through border control, not how long you stay.
The airline says I stay airside but I have an ETA anyway. Is that a problem?
No. Having an ETA you do not use costs nothing extra and protects you if the connection changes.
Sources
Checked on 10 November 2026. Rules can change; the official pages below always take priority.