Just ten months after raising the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) fee from £10 to £16, the Home Office now plans to push the price up again to £20—an increase of 25 %. A briefing seen by Business Travel News confirms that parliamentary approval will be sought in the coming weeks.(businesstravelnews.com)
The ETA is the U.K.’s digital ‘pre-check’ that visa-exempt nationals—from the United States and Australia to EU member-states—must obtain before boarding transport to the U.K. From 25 February 2026 carriers will be obliged to refuse boarding to anyone who needs, but does not hold, an ETA. The higher fee would therefore apply almost immediately after full enforcement begins.
![Government proposes 25 % hike to Electronic Travel Authorisation fee]()
For travellers and corporate mobility teams who prefer not to wrestle with new government portals, VisaHQ’s U.K. platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers a managed ETA solution: applicants complete a single online form, receive real-time status updates, and can bundle multiple travellers’ requests in one dashboard—saving time and reducing the risk of costly rejections when the price goes up.
The Home Office argues the rise reflects investment in border-security technology, but travel-industry bodies disagree. UKinbound CEO Joss Croft warned that “the U.K. already has some of the highest entry costs in the world; another hike undermines competitiveness.” Corporate-travel managers echo that sentiment, pointing out that a family of four could soon pay £80 just for permission to board, on top of airfares and Air Passenger Duty.
Employers moving staff on short-term visits should budget for the change and make sure travel-booking tools update their cost estimates. Travellers transiting through U.K. airports and passing immigration control will also be caught, unless they remain airside at designated hubs such as Heathrow or Manchester.
The ETA is the U.K.’s digital ‘pre-check’ that visa-exempt nationals—from the United States and Australia to EU member-states—must obtain before boarding transport to the U.K. From 25 February 2026 carriers will be obliged to refuse boarding to anyone who needs, but does not hold, an ETA. The higher fee would therefore apply almost immediately after full enforcement begins.
For travellers and corporate mobility teams who prefer not to wrestle with new government portals, VisaHQ’s U.K. platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) offers a managed ETA solution: applicants complete a single online form, receive real-time status updates, and can bundle multiple travellers’ requests in one dashboard—saving time and reducing the risk of costly rejections when the price goes up.
The Home Office argues the rise reflects investment in border-security technology, but travel-industry bodies disagree. UKinbound CEO Joss Croft warned that “the U.K. already has some of the highest entry costs in the world; another hike undermines competitiveness.” Corporate-travel managers echo that sentiment, pointing out that a family of four could soon pay £80 just for permission to board, on top of airfares and Air Passenger Duty.
Employers moving staff on short-term visits should budget for the change and make sure travel-booking tools update their cost estimates. Travellers transiting through U.K. airports and passing immigration control will also be caught, unless they remain airside at designated hubs such as Heathrow or Manchester.
