UK visitors face £6 rise in permit fee
The Home Office said it is proposing to raise the maximum price of an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) – which currently costs £10 – to £16.
Visitors to the UK face a £6 increase in the cost of a digital permit.
The Home Office said it is proposing to raise the maximum price of an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) – which currently costs £10 – to £16.
Legislation to enact the change was laid before Parliament on Thursday and is subject to approval.
Combined with 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 UK outbound travel sector and will only serve as a further blow to consumers.”
Liberal Democrat Lord Foster of Bath, who chairs the House of Lords Justice and Home Affairs Committee, said the committee is “concerned” about the move, noting that the European Union’s planned Etias scheme will cost around seven euros (£5.90).
He added: “In an increasingly competitive tourist market, we should not be killing the goose that lays the golden egg.”
The Home Office also announced it has agreed for transit passengers who remain airside to be exempt from the ETA scheme.
Heathrow and Manchester airports are the only locations in the UK which offer a transit facility.
The Home Office described the change as a “temporary exemption” and said it will “be kept under review”.
Heathrow previously claimed the fee for transit passengers was “devastating for our hub competitiveness”.
Following the announcement of the exemption, Heathrow chief executive Thomas Woldbye said: “The removal of airside transit passengers from the ETA scheme is the right decision and we welcome it.
“This is a critical move to ensure Heathrow and the aviation industry as a whole can continue to deliver for everyone who depends on our world-leading connectivity.
“It shows that the Government is listening to industry concerns and is willing to make the necessary changes to strengthen the UK’s competitiveness and drive economic growth.”
The ETA system was first introduced in November 2023.
An ETA – which is a digital permission to travel – is currently required for all non-Europeans entering the UK without legal residence rights or a visa.
They will become a requirement for Europeans from April 2.
Applications for an ETA can be made through the UK ETA app or the gov.uk website.
ETAs 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.
