Yes, US citizens need a UK ETA for visiting family and friends in the United Kingdom. A social visit counts as a standard tourist trip, so the same £20 authorization applies. You can stay in a relative’s home for up to six months, attend weddings or reunions, and come and go over two years, as long as you are not moving in for good.
TL;DR: A UK ETA for visiting family and friends costs £20 per person, including children and babies. It allows stays of up to six months, multiple trips over two years, and lets you stay in someone’s home instead of a hotel. You cannot work, settle permanently, or claim public funds.
- Everyone needs one: each traveler, including infants, needs a £20 ETA (gov.uk/eta).
- Stay length: up to six months per visit as a standard visitor.
- Where you stay: a family or friend’s home is fine; no hotel is required.
- What is not allowed: paid work, long-term living, or claiming benefits.
- Repeat visits: multiple entries over two years, provided each trip is genuinely temporary.
| Item | Detail |
|---|---|
| Cost | £20 per traveler, all ages |
| Purpose covered | Tourism, visiting relatives and friends, short business |
| Maximum stay | Six months per visit |
| Accommodation | Relative’s or friend’s home is allowed |
| Where to apply | Official gov.uk ETA service |
Do you need a UK ETA just to see relatives?
You do need a UK ETA just to see relatives, because the authorization is based on your nationality and the fact that you are entering Britain, not on the reason for the trip. Seeing family is treated the same as any tourist visit, so a US passport holder still applies for the £20 ETA before flying. There is no special “family visit” category and no discount for staying with relatives. The rules mirror a standard holiday: apply online, get approved, and travel on the passport you applied with. The standard visitor rules confirm that visiting friends and family is a permitted reason to enter as a visitor, which the ETA covers. Picture a daughter in Seattle flying over to help her father after surgery in Leeds: she stays six weeks, cooks, drives him to appointments, and flies home. That is a textbook UK ETA for visiting family and friends, and it needs nothing more than the standard £20 authorization applied for in advance.
What you can and cannot do on a family visit
On a family visit you can stay in a relative’s home, attend weddings, birthdays, graduations, and funerals, help informally around the house, and travel together around the country. What you cannot do is take paid work, run a business locally, enrol in long-term study, or claim public funds, because those need a different immigration route. The line is about living versus visiting. Cooking dinner for your grandmother or babysitting a niece for an afternoon is ordinary family life and perfectly fine. Taking a paid shift at a relative’s shop is not. The Home Office ETA factsheet sets the six-month ceiling per visit, which comfortably covers even a long summer with the grandkids.
Bringing children or elderly parents and unsure who needs their own ETA? It is a common worry before a big family trip. We can confirm exactly who needs one and check the details so no one is turned away at the gate.
Do children and babies visiting grandparents need an ETA?
Yes, children and babies visiting grandparents each need their own UK ETA, and each pays the full £20. There is no family rate, child discount, or infant exemption, so a family of four applies four times and pays £80 in total. Every traveler is linked individually to their own passport. Parents often assume little ones travel free, as they sometimes do on airfares, but the ETA rule is flat. Apply for each child separately using their own passport details, and take care that names match exactly. For the specifics, our UK ETA guide for children and the guide for grandparents and grandchildren walk through applying for a whole family at once.
Pro tip: Apply for every family member in one sitting, then save each approval email in a shared folder. When you reach the airport, one person can pull up the whole family’s confirmations in seconds.
How to apply before a trip to see family
To apply before a trip to see family, complete the ETA online for each traveler, using the passport each person will fly on. The process is quick, most approvals arrive within hours, and you can list your relative’s address as where you will be staying. Apply as soon as the trip is booked to avoid last-minute stress. Here is the simple order of play:
- Gather every traveler’s passport, including the children’s, before you start.
- Open the official gov.uk ETA service and apply once per person.
- Enter your host’s UK address when asked where you will stay.
- Pay £20 per application with a card, Apple Pay, or Google Pay.
- Save each approval email and note the passport it is linked to.
Staying with relatives and what to show at the border
Staying with relatives is completely allowed, and you do not need a hotel booking to enter. At the border, an officer may ask who you are visiting, how long you will stay, and when you will return home, so it helps to know your host’s address and your rough plans. A letter of invitation is not required but can reassure an officer. Keep it simple and honest. If a relative wrote a short note confirming you are staying with them, carry it, along with your return or onward travel details. Officers are checking that you are a genuine visitor who intends to leave, exactly as the UK border control and customs guide explains. Most family visitors clear the desk in under a minute.
Making repeat visits to family over two years
Making repeat visits to family is one of the biggest advantages of the ETA, because a single £20 approval allows multiple entries over two years. You can fly back for Christmas, a summer stay, and a spring wedding on the same authorization, as long as each trip is a genuine visit rather than near-continuous residence. The two-year clock runs from approval, or until your passport expires if that comes first. Frequent, back-to-back six-month stays can prompt questions at the border about whether you are effectively living in Britain, so space visits sensibly. For the details on stay length and entries, see our six-month multi-entry rule and the UK ETA validity period guide.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a UK ETA if I am only visiting family? Yes. Visiting relatives is treated as a standard visit, so a US passport holder needs a £20 ETA regardless of the reason for the trip. There is no separate family-visit permit.
Can I stay in my relative’s home instead of a hotel? Yes. Staying with family or friends is fully allowed, and you do not need a hotel booking. You can list your host’s address on the application and at the border if asked.
Does my baby need an ETA to visit grandparents? Yes. Every traveler, including infants, needs their own ETA and pays the full £20. There is no child or family discount, so apply separately for each person.
Can I attend a wedding or funeral on an ETA? Yes. Attending family events such as weddings, graduations, and funerals is a normal visitor activity covered by the ETA, within the six-month stay limit.
Do I need an invitation letter from my UK family? No, it is not required. A short note from your host can reassure a border officer, but the decision rests on you being a genuine visitor who plans to leave on time.
Related UK ETA guides for US travelers
- Complete UK ETA guide for US citizens
- Who needs a UK ETA
- UK ETA guide for children
- UK ETA for grandparents and grandchildren
- United Kingdom family travel guide
- UK ETA family travel: parent FAQ
- UK ETA 2026 requirements and cost
- UK ETA application guide for US citizens
- UK ETA six-month multi-entry rule
- How far in advance to apply for a UK ETA
- UK ETA validity period explained
- First-time visit to the UK for US travelers
etavisauk.us is an independent assistance service, not a government body. You can apply for a UK ETA directly on gov.uk (£20), or let us check and support your application.
About the author. The ETA UK Editorial Team at etavisauk.us writes practical guides for Americans traveling to the UK and checks every figure against official UK government sources before publishing.
Last updated: 2026-09-22 — verified against gov.uk schedule.