The price of the UK’s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will increase from €18 to €23 (approximately £20) next week, the Home Office confirmed today. The two-year visa-waiver—mandatory since 25 February 2026 for all visa-exempt visitors, including EU, US and Australian nationals—was originally priced at just £10 when pilots began in 2025. Officials say the increase brings the cost into line with similar systems such as the United States ESTA and Canada’s eTA, and will help recover IT-development costs.
![UK Electronic Travel Authorisation fee to jump 25 % on 8 April]()
If navigating these new fees and document rules feels daunting, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its intuitive portal for United Kingdom travel services (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/), the company offers real-time eligibility checks, application filing assistance and automated reminders, helping both individual and corporate travellers secure their ETA quickly and stay compliant.
Still, airlines and business-travel associations warn that another price hike so soon after full rollout may catch travellers unaware during the busy spring conference season. Dual UK–EU nationals are also in the spotlight. Updated carrier-guidance allows British dual citizens who lack a valid UK passport to board using an expired UK passport (issued 1989 or later) for a short “transitional tolerance period”. Failure to present acceptable documents could result in denied boarding even if an ETA has been purchased on an EU passport. Travel-management companies are urging corporates to embed an ETA-check in pre-trip approval workflows and to brief employees on document requirements. The digital approval remains valid for multiple entries, so frequent travellers should apply as soon as possible to lock in the current €18 rate before 7 April. In the medium term, the increased fee is unlikely to deter leisure visitors, but companies with large volumes of short-haul trips may see travel budgets creep higher. HR and mobility teams should cross-reference their travel-tracking tools with immigration-compliance systems to ensure ETA validity is monitored alongside visa and work-permit expiries.
If navigating these new fees and document rules feels daunting, VisaHQ can streamline the process. Through its intuitive portal for United Kingdom travel services (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/), the company offers real-time eligibility checks, application filing assistance and automated reminders, helping both individual and corporate travellers secure their ETA quickly and stay compliant.
Still, airlines and business-travel associations warn that another price hike so soon after full rollout may catch travellers unaware during the busy spring conference season. Dual UK–EU nationals are also in the spotlight. Updated carrier-guidance allows British dual citizens who lack a valid UK passport to board using an expired UK passport (issued 1989 or later) for a short “transitional tolerance period”. Failure to present acceptable documents could result in denied boarding even if an ETA has been purchased on an EU passport. Travel-management companies are urging corporates to embed an ETA-check in pre-trip approval workflows and to brief employees on document requirements. The digital approval remains valid for multiple entries, so frequent travellers should apply as soon as possible to lock in the current €18 rate before 7 April. In the medium term, the increased fee is unlikely to deter leisure visitors, but companies with large volumes of short-haul trips may see travel budgets creep higher. HR and mobility teams should cross-reference their travel-tracking tools with immigration-compliance systems to ensure ETA validity is monitored alongside visa and work-permit expiries.
