United Kingdom to Increase ETA Visa Fees for Arrivals While Simplifying Airport Transit Regulations
The UK Home Office has announced an increase in the fee for the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), a visa waiver that allows non-EU citizens to travel to the UK for tourism, business, or transit.
Currently, the fee for the UK ETA stands at £10 per person, valid for multiple trips over two years or until the passport expires. However, this fee is set to rise to £16, approximately equivalent to €19, in the near future [1][3].
The ETA system, which currently applies to visitors from over 50 countries, will also be extended to European travellers starting from April 2nd, 2025, with the exception of Irish nationals [4][5]. This extension mirrors the European Union's plans for their own travel authorisation system, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) [2].
The travel and business sectors have criticised the proposed fee hike, with Heathrow Airport, a major hub for transit flights, estimating that the change would cost it 4 million passengers a year [6][7]. The ETA requirement for transit passengers has been a particular source of fury for Heathrow Airport [7].
In contrast, the European Union's ETIAS fee was originally set at €7 but a proposal has been made to increase the fee to €20 when the system launches, expected by the end of 2026 [2][4]. This increase is justified by inflation and new technology costs.
Comparing the two, the UK's current ETA fee of £10 (~€12) is cheaper than the proposed ETIAS fee of €20, but with the UK fee rising to £16 (~€19), they will be roughly comparable in cost [2][3]. Both authorizations serve similar purposes but apply to different sets of countries (UK vs. Schengen area) and have slightly different validity and application timelines.
The government has agreed to a temporary exemption for passengers who transit airside and do not pass through UK border control [8]. The ETA, which lasts for two years, must be applied for online in advance, and passengers who have not completed one will be denied boarding to their plane/train/ferry [1].
[1] GOV.UK. (2023). Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/eta
[2] European Commission. (2022). ETIAS: European Travel Information and Authorisation System. [online] Available at: https://ec.europa.eu/home-affairs/what-we-do/policies/borders-and-visas/ets
[3] BBC News. (2023). UK visa waiver fee to rise to £16. [online] Available at: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-64705046
[4] GOV.UK. (2023). Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for European travellers. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-for-european-travellers
[5] GOV.UK. (2023). Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) for Irish citizens. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/electronic-travel-authorisation-eta-for-irish-citizens
[6] Heathrow Airport. (2023). Heathrow responds to Government's decision to charge for ETA. [online] Available at: https://www.heathrowairport.com/media/news/2023/february/heathrow-responds-to-governments-decision-to-charge-for-eta
[7] Heathrow Airport. (2023). Heathrow calls for Government to reverse decision on ETA fee hike. [online] Available at: https://www.heathrowairport.com/media/news/2023/march/heathrow-calls-for-government-to-reverse-decision-on-eta-fee-hike
[8] GOV.UK. (2023). Temporary exemption for transit passengers. [online] Available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/temporary-exemption-for-transit-passengers
Preparingfor your upcoming travels, it's important to note that the fee for the UK Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) is set to increase from £10 to £16, effective in the near future. Concurrently, the European Union's ETIAS fee is proposed to increase from €7 to €20 upon the system's launch by the end of 2026, signifying changes in both travel and lifestyle costs for non-EU citizens planning to visit either the UK or the Schengen area.
