Before you go: a checklist for your UK trip

Three months or more before

• Check whether you need an ETA, a visa or neither, using the passport you will travel on: look up your nationality, then confirm with the official checker.^[1]
• If you need a visa, note that you can apply no earlier than 3 months before you travel, and must apply before you go.^[2]
• Buy travel insurance with medical cover: visitors pay for NHS hospital care. See travel insurance and the NHS.^[4]
• From the EU, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein or Switzerland? Check your EHIC is valid for the UK and bring it.^[5]
• Book the things that sell out: see book ahead.
• Rough out a budget: fixed costs and a calculator.

One month to two weeks before

• Apply for your ETA on GOV.UK or the UK ETA app, one per traveller including children. A decision usually comes within a day but can take up to 3 working days.^[3]
• Ask your bank about overseas fees, and whether your card works for contactless travel in London.^[6]
• Decide on roaming, a UK SIM or an eSIM, and check your phone is unlocked: phones, SIM cards and Wi-Fi.
• Medicines: get a prescriber’s letter if you carry a controlled drug. See travelling with medicines.
• Deaf or speech-impaired? Register with emergencySMS before you travel, so you can text 999.^[7]

The week before

• Pack for the weather and the region: packing checklist by month and region.
• Pack a Type G plug adapter (UK: 230 V, 50 Hz) and check each charger’s voltage label.^[8]
• Check for bank holidays and Sunday hours on your dates: large shops in England and Wales open for only 6 hours on Sundays. See bank holidays and Sunday opening.^[9][10]
• Plan your first journey from the airport or port: airports and arriving in London.

The day before

• Have your ETA or visa decision email. GOV.UK says you must not travel on an ETA until you have it.^[3]
• Passport, insurance details and booking confirmations to hand, with copies saved on your phone.
• Download offline maps and tickets, and save the emergency numbers below.
• Note your card issuer’s lost-card number and your embassy’s details: if you lose something.