I just read other Fodor threads on this topic. My spouse submitted an ETA application last night using the online site (not the phone app). Photos taken and uploaded, requested info provided, fee paid. All seem to have been properly accepted and validated by the website (including passport photo, selfie). After a wait of about 20 hours, today we received a message that the application was rejected, that we need to do it again and re-pay the fee, grrrr….

No idea what went wrong. We do not want to do this again with the same outcome, therefore wondering if anyone might have had a similar issue or would have some advice to offer. Should we try using the phone app? Other thoughts?

Per their website

What happens if someone is not able to obtain an ETA?

• If a person’s ETA application is rejected, they will be told the reason and can apply again.
• If a person’s ETA application is refused, they cannot appeal and instead need to apply for a visa if they still wish to seek permission to come to the UK.

So it seems if it was rejected the reason is given and you need to apply again. What reason did they provide? If it was refused you are SOL and must apply for an actual visa. I doubt whether it was done on the app or website makes a difference

Thanks for this janisj. It was definitely rejected i.e. not refused. The reason given is quite vague:

"Your ETA application has been rejected. Because of this, you need to apply again.This may be because:
• We could not confirm your identity from the photos you provided
• You did not provide all the information we needed, or you made a mistake
• Your passport has been reported lost or stolen"
Hard to say what exactly went wrong. (we did use their official website, and all documents and info provided is valid)

We did see those lines on their website which you quoted. We will probably need to do it again, but will use the app this time hoping it makes a difference. Most people seem to obtain their ETA quite rapidly, often within minutes. The fact that it took so long was making me wonder … A money making venture in disguise I wonder?

Hopefully it was just a problem with the photos. Mine wasn't rejected -- was approved almost immediately -- but I did faff about trying to get the photo and photo of my passport 'just right'. Took me about 4 tries before I had a photo I felt was satisfactory / met their requirements.

Good luck

Appreciate your encouragement and quick response! We are trying again just now using the app. Attempting to get photos as clear as possible and without any shadows (making triple sure). Will be re-paying the fee. Let’s see how far we get this time. Fingers crossed … Will post back with the outcome.

Thanks so much again janisj.

Success !!! Just got the approval email after 2 minutes, phew what a relief. We will never know for sure, but I think you were right janisj, likely something they did not like with the photos on the first try. Spouse is traveling next Wednesday so stress level is going down now.

Yay! -- obviously not a criminal history LOL

My experience was the same as Janisj. Only problem was to get the photo right and accepted

I rode a shuttle to the airport today with a guy from Kansas City who was refused the UK ETA and could not enter, so he went to Ireland instead. He had a misdemeanor pot bust on his record, and in the part of the application where they ask if you had ever been convicted of a crime, his wife could not lie and said "yes." When they tried to back up and change it because it was a misdemeanor and not a felony, the app would not let them go back for a do-over and he was hosed. Which brings up the question....do you fess up to a misdemeanor, leave it off, or do they check such things? Traffic violations? Minor incidents? I dunno.

AI tells me
In the UK, the terms "misdemeanor" and "felony" are no longer used to classify crimes. The distinction between these two categories was abolished by the Criminal Law Act 1967. While the terms are still sometimes used colloquially to describe less serious and more serious crimes, respectively, the legal system no longer relies on this classification.

But core data shows the same
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1967/58/part/I

Read more following your kind reply and it appears the UK is one country that views any and all violations quite seriously. Was crossing into Canada for a business fishing trip once and someone in our group was refused entry at the border for a 20-year-old drunk driving conviction in college, which he practically forgot ever happened. Honestly appears to be paramount, but may also be fatal.

my ETA also got rejected, I reapplied and it worked. I ended up paying twice, does somebody already tried getting a refund? must be a mistake on their end because it worked when I reapplied.

You don't get a refund if it is rejected, for whatever reason.

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/apply-fo...horisation-eta

scroll to How Much it costs

Heti beat me to it. You pays your money and takes your chances . . .

I would guess that the process is automated, and programming common sense flexibility in a computer evaluating photos may just be too difficult.

Plus the cost of refund would far outweigh the fee charged in the first place.

Totally normal for the fee not to be refunded. The US don't refund a rejected ESTA, nor does any country refund for a rejected visa.

Apparently these schemes are intended to speed up/eliminate checks for anything that would put you on a watchlist/blacklist. Even a few seconds eliminated from every passport check soon mounts up to a saving in officials needed, and should speed ordinary folk through. Allegedly.

Just adding our experience with getting the ETA for both my husband and myself. I did mine first and took great care with getting a photo that I thought they would accept - white background, looking straight at the phone camera, etc. Mine went through pretty quickly and was approved. It was much, much harder to get a photo of my husband that they would take. He was holding the phone camera too low and shooting upwards. I had him bend his legs a bit so I could take it straight on for him with a clear background. It was a great relief to have it go through finally!

As a friend told me before, the app can be a bit fiddly to get things just right, but it works.

Glad it finally worked! I found that if I put on a beanie hat with a helicopter propeller on top and Groucho glasses with a big nose and fake moustache, while rubbing my tummy and patting my head with both hands, simultaneously, my photo was accepted almost instantaneously!

I would like to offer an update about my experience with the ETA. I mentioned in previous threads that the app is terrible and I recommended doing it online, as the app didn't work for me. I now recommend using the app, as it's been updated. Here's my story:

Last night I was helping a relative with the ETA. This person is not tech savvy and I knew he would never get it on his own. Since I had such bad luck with the app, I tried doing his online. The ETA was rejected because the passport photo was inadequate.

I now know the app was updated so we tried again today on the app. It worked beautifully and he was approved within minutes. Of course, the fee had to be paid again, but that's OK.

So if you're applying for an ETA, make sure you have the current version of the app and give it a try.

One more thing, and I ask you not to judge my loved one as we all did dumb things when were young. Back in the 80s, he was arrested for driving with a suspended license. His license had been suspended for driving without insurance, but being young and foolish, he drove anyway. For driving with a suspended license, he was sentenced to community service and no jail. He complied, and of course, he has carried proper insurance and a valid license ever since. He has not been arrested for any reason since this incident.

The questionnaire does ask about criminal history and I recommended to him that he should tell the truth, as he was arrested. If you answer yes to commiting a crime, the follow up questions are: have you been convicted of a crime in the last 12 months, was your jail sentence more than 12 months, and was it a crime of terrorism, genocide, etc. Of course his answers to the follow up questions were all no. As I mentioned above, he was quickly approved. So please don't be put off if you have an ancient conviction for a minor offense.