Visitors arriving in the UK warned of ETA fee increase

People visiting the UK could pay £6 more for a digital travel permit if Home Office plans are approved.

It’s proposing to raise the maximum price of an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) from the current cost of £10 to £16. Legislation to enact the change was laid before Parliament on Thursday and is subject to approval.

First introduced in November 2023, the ETA, a digital permission to travel, is currently required for all on-Europeans entering the UK without legal residence rights or a visa.

ETAs will become a requirement for Europeans from April 2. They are digitally linked to a traveller's passport.

The Home Office says they ensure “more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK”, which helps prevent “abuse of our immigration system”. Each ETA permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years, or until the holder’s passport expires if that is sooner.

The increase in the ETA fee plus price rises for other immigration and nationality products and services – such as for sponsorship and naturalisation as a British citizen – this is forecast to generate an additional £269 million per year. It is not known when price rises may be implemented.

Julia Lo Bue-Said, chief executive of Advantage Travel Partnership, a network of independent travel agents, said: “At a time when the economy needs to focus on growth, and the Government has talked up its ambition for the travel and tourism industry, it’s incredibly disappointing to see the Government has increased the cost of the new ETA fee by 60% even before it’s fully launched.

“Charging international travellers to visit the UK is just another economic policy which will also directly impact the