Do Barbadian passport holders need a visa for the United Kingdom?
By Pranav Muley · Software Engineer, Tripmojo · Updated · Reviewed by Simran Raheja
No visa, but you do need an ETA. Barbados is not on the UK’s visa national list, so Barbadian citizens do not apply for a visitor visa. Barbados is on the ETA national list instead, which means an electronic travel authorisation costing 20 pounds must be approved before you travel. It covers multiple journeys over two years, with stays of up to six months at a time.
Quick facts
Travel authorisation- Visa required
- No, Barbados is not a visa national country
- ETA required
- Yes, before you travel
- Cost
- GBP 20
- ETA validity
- 2 years, or until your passport expires
- Journeys
- Multiple, on the same ETA
- Maximum stay
- Up to 6 months per visit
Entry requirements
- A Barbadian passport, which is the document the ETA is issued against.
- An approved ETA before you travel. Airlines check it at the gate and will not carry you without one.
- Evidence you will leave at the end of the visit and can support yourself without working or claiming public funds.
- Details of where you are staying, and an invitation if you are visiting family.
- A return or onward ticket.
How to get a UK ETA
Apply through the official UK ETA app or the gov.uk service. It costs 20 pounds, and the paid lookalike sites that rank alongside the official one charge several times that for the same application.
Most decisions arrive quickly, but the guidance is to allow time rather than apply at the airport, because some applications are held for further checks.
Once approved the ETA is linked electronically to your passport and covers multiple journeys for two years, or until that passport expires. There is nothing to print and nothing to collect.
Good to know
- Do not apply for a visitor visa, which is the expensive mistake available on this route. Barbados is absent from the visa national list, so a visa is not the thing you need, and buying one would cost 135 pounds instead of 20 to solve a problem you do not have. The instruction here is the exact opposite of the one given to travellers from countries such as Algeria, Ecuador or the Gambia, who are visa nationals and for whom an ETA is not valid permission at all.
- The ETA is granted against one passport and does not move to another. Renew your Barbadian passport inside the two years and the authorisation ends with the old document, regardless of how much time was left on it.
- An approved ETA is permission to board, not a guarantee of entry. A Border Force officer still decides admission when you land, and the six months is a maximum for a visit rather than an entitlement to stay that long. It also does not permit work, which is the limit most often misunderstood given how many Barbadian visits to the UK are to family already living and working there.
Frequently asked questions
Do Barbadians need a visa for the UK?
No. Barbados is not on the UK visa national list, so no visitor visa is required. You do need an approved ETA before travelling.
How much does a UK ETA cost for Barbadian citizens?
20 pounds, applied for through the official UK ETA app or on gov.uk.
How long is a UK ETA valid for Barbados passport holders?
Two years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. It covers multiple journeys with stays of up to six months each.
Can Barbadians stay in the UK for six months?
Up to six months per visit is permitted, but the Border Force officer decides admission and the length granted on arrival. The ETA does not allow work.
Should Barbadians apply for an ETA or a visitor visa?
An ETA. The visitor visa route is for visa nationals, and Barbados is not one, so a visa would cost far more and is not what the rules ask for.
Related pages
Sources
Every fact on this page was checked against the official sources below on .
- UK Immigration Rules — Appendix Visitor: Visa national list. Barbados is absent, the list running Bangladesh, Belarus, Benin (gov.uk). Read 2026-08-17.
- UK Immigration Rules — Appendix ETA National List. Barbados is entry 10, immediately before Belize at 11 and Brazil at 12 (gov.uk). Read 2026-08-17.
- UK Home Office — Apply for an electronic travel authorisation: "An ETA costs £20" (gov.uk/guidance/apply-for-an-electronic-travel-authorisation-eta). Read 2026-08-17.
- UK Home Office — Electronic Travel Authorisation factsheet, April 2026: multiple journeys for stays of up to six months at a time over two years or until the holder’s passport expires, whichever is sooner (homeofficemedia.blog.gov.uk)
Entry rules change without notice and the official source is always the authority. Confirm with the embassy or immigration portal before you book.
