# UK ETA for Chilean Citizens: Do Chileans Need a Visa for the UK? Cost, Rules and Mistakes to Avoid (2026 Guide)

> Chileans don't need a UK visa, but the £20 ETA is mandatory to board. Validity, the official app, photo rules, transit via London, border checks and refusals.

Canonical: https://chartavisa.com/guides/uk-eta-chilean-citizens
Last updated: 2026-09-14

## Do Chileans need a visa for the UK? No — but the ETA is mandatory

The short answer to “do Chileans need a visa for the UK” is **no**: Chile is on the United Kingdom's visa-free list, so a Chilean passport holder can visit for tourism, business meetings, family visits or a short course for up to six months without applying for a visa. The longer answer is that since 8 January 2025 every visa-free traveller from outside Europe — Chileans included — needs an **Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)** before boarding. It is not a visa; it is a digital permission linked to your passport, and the airline will not let you board without an approved one. Confirm your own case on [our Chile → UK requirements page](https://chartavisa.com/visa/cl/uk), and for the scheme in general see [what the UK ETA is](https://chartavisa.com/guides/what-is-uk-eta).

The one group of Chilean citizens who do not need an ETA: dual nationals who also hold a British or Irish passport — they should travel on that passport instead. Everyone else, including children and babies, needs their own ETA.

## The ETA UK for Chile at a glance

- **Cost:** £20 per person (the fee rose from £16 to £20 on 8 April 2026 — a site still quoting £16 is out of date).
- **Validity:** two years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first.
- **Entries:** unlimited, with stays of up to six months each time.
- **Decision:** most are approved within hours; officially allow up to three working days.
- **Where:** the official “UK ETA” app or GOV.UK — no other website is the government.

## How to apply from Chile

The official route is the UK government's **“UK ETA” app** (Android and iOS), with GOV.UK as the fallback if you cannot use the app. The process takes about ten minutes: scan the chip in your passport with your phone (NFC), take a photo of your face, complete a short liveness check, answer a handful of security and background questions, and pay £20 by card. The application is available only in English, and that is where most Chilean applicants slip: eligibility questions misread, details that do not match the passport, a photo rejected for glare. If you would rather have a second pair of eyes, [Charta Visa's guided form](https://chartavisa.com/apply?visa=UK_ETA&origin=CL) walks you through every question in your language, runs a 23-point error check before anything is submitted and is backed by a refund guarantee — remembering that we are a private service and the £20 government fee is always the same.

## Passport and photo requirements

You need a **biometric Chilean passport** (every Chilean passport issued since 2013 has the chip) valid for the whole of your stay; the UK does not demand six months' remaining validity, but airlines and connecting countries may, so check with our free [passport checker](https://chartavisa.com/tools/passport-checker). The face photo is taken in the app: plain, evenly lit background, no hat or sunglasses, neutral expression, nothing covering the face, no filters. If your photo is rejected, retake it against a white wall in daylight rather than fighting the app.

One Chilean-specific detail: your passport shows **two surnames**. Enter both, exactly as they appear on the machine-readable line at the bottom of the data page, and do not invent a hyphen or drop the maternal surname to make the form “look English”. A name that does not match the passport is the most common reason a valid ETA fails at check-in. More on document rules in our [2026 passport requirements guide](https://chartavisa.com/guides/passport-requirements-2026).

## How long a decision takes — and when to apply

Most ETAs are approved within a few hours, sometimes minutes, but the official guidance is to allow **three working days**, and some applications go to manual review. Since 25 February 2026 airlines are strictly prohibited from boarding anyone whose ETA is not yet *approved* — having applied is not enough. The practical rule for a Santiago–London trip is to apply when you buy the ticket, not the week you fly.

## Children and family travel

Every traveller needs their own ETA regardless of age, and a parent or guardian applies for each child from their own device. A family of four pays £80 in government fees and completes four separate applications. Children must travel on the passport their ETA is linked to — if a child's passport is renewed before the trip, the old ETA dies with it.

## Transit through London: do you need an ETA?

Usually, yes. Chileans connecting through London on the way to Europe or elsewhere are exempt **only** if they stay airside — never passing through UK passport control — and that is only possible at **Heathrow and Manchester**. If you land at Gatwick, Stansted or Luton, if your onward flight is on a separate ticket, if you have to collect and re-check luggage, or if you plan to leave the airport during a long layover, you need an ETA. Given that it costs £20 and lasts two years, most travellers simply get one rather than gamble on the connection type.

## What the border officer may ask

An approved ETA lets you *travel* to the UK; the decision to *admit* you is made at the border. Chileans usually pass through the automatic eGates, but if you are directed to an officer, expect the standard visitor questions: the purpose of your visit, where you will stay, how long you intend to remain, whether you have a return or onward ticket, and how you will support yourself. Keep your accommodation confirmation, return booking and proof of funds (a bank statement or a letter from a host) accessible on your phone. Answer plainly — the questions exist to confirm you are a genuine visitor, not to catch you out.

## What you cannot do on an ETA

The ETA covers visitor activities only. You **cannot work** — no paid or unpaid employment, no freelancing for a UK client on site — and you **cannot study a course longer than six months** or enrol in a degree. Attending meetings, conferences, negotiating contracts, sightseeing, visiting family and taking a short English course are all fine. If your plan is to work or study long term, you need a Skilled Worker, Student or other visa, applied for from Chile before you travel; arriving on an ETA and “sorting it out later” is not possible and can lead to refusal at the border.

## Common mistakes Chilean applicants make

- **Paying a copycat site.** Sites ranking for “visa para Inglaterra” that charge £60–£100 and look official are not the government. The only government fee is £20, and any service charge should be shown separately and honestly.
- **Applying with the wrong passport.** Chilean-Spanish or Chilean-Italian dual nationals: the ETA is tied to one specific passport, so apply with the one you will actually show at check-in. Chilean-British dual nationals need no ETA at all.
- **Name or number mismatch.** Two surnames entered as one, a transposed passport digit, or a middle name left out — check every field against the data page before paying.
- **Renewing the passport after approval.** A new passport needs a new ETA.
- **Assuming a layover is exempt.** Unless it is airside at Heathrow or Manchester, it is not.

## What happens if your ETA is refused

Refusals are rare for Chilean citizens and almost always trace back to a form error or a security-question answer (for example, an undeclared criminal conviction). There is **no appeal**: your options are to submit a corrected application — the £20 is not refunded — or, if the refusal stands, to apply for a Standard Visitor visa (£135, several weeks, and a biometric appointment in Santiago), which will not arrive in time for an imminent trip. This is exactly why checking every field before submission matters more than speed.

## Checklist before you fly

- A biometric Chilean passport valid for your whole stay.
- An ETA *approved* — not merely applied for — for every traveller, including children, linked to the passport each one is carrying.
- The approval email with its reference number saved offline.
- Return ticket, accommodation and proof of funds within reach at the border.

**Charta Visa is a private travel-authorisation review and processing service. We are not a government website and we are not affiliated with any government.**

## FAQ

**Do Chileans need a visa for the UK?**

No. Chilean citizens are visa-free for stays of up to six months for tourism, business or family visits. Since 8 January 2025, however, they must obtain an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) before travelling, and airlines will not board a Chilean passenger without an approved one.

**How much does the UK ETA cost for Chilean citizens?**

£20 per person, including children, paid to the UK government when you apply. The fee rose from £16 to £20 on 8 April 2026. Any amount above £20 is an intermediary's service fee, which should be shown separately.

**How long is the UK ETA valid for Chileans?**

Two years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, with unlimited entries and stays of up to six months each time. If you renew your passport you need a new ETA.

**Do I need an ETA to transit through London on a Chilean passport?**

Usually yes. You are exempt only if you stay airside without passing UK passport control, which is only possible at Heathrow and Manchester. Separate tickets, re-checking luggage, or landing at Gatwick, Stansted or Luton all require an ETA.

**Can I work or study in the UK with an ETA?**

No. The ETA covers visitor activities only: tourism, meetings and conferences, family visits and courses shorter than six months. Paid or unpaid work and longer study require a Skilled Worker, Student or other visa applied for before you travel.

## Sources

- [GOV.UK — Apply for an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA)](https://www.gov.uk/eta)
- [GOV.UK — Electronic travel authorisation: guidance and who needs one](https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta)
- [GOV.UK — Visit the UK as a Standard Visitor (what you can and cannot do)](https://www.gov.uk/standard-visitor)
- [GOV.UK — Check if you need a UK visa](https://www.gov.uk/check-uk-visa)
- [Embassy of Chile in the United Kingdom](https://www.chile.gob.cl/reino-unido/)