Only two years after launching the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) system, the UK has raised the cost of the digital permit from £16 to £20. The higher price applies to all applications submitted on or after 8 April and was confirmed in the Immigration and Nationality (Fees) Order 2026.
![Electronic Travel Authorisation fee jumps 25 % to £20]()
For travellers who would rather let a specialist handle the paperwork, VisaHQ offers a streamlined ETA application service that checks your documents, submits the form and monitors approval status—reducing the risk of delays or refusals. You can begin the process and see full details at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
The ETA is mandatory for visa-waiver nationals—including US, Australian and Gulf travellers—who intend to visit the UK for up to six months for business or tourism. Because business visitors make up roughly a third of ETA holders, the extra £4 per traveller could add meaningful cost to high-frequency corporate travel programmes. Government officials say the uplift is needed to fund biometric upgrades and risk-analysis algorithms at the UK’s “digital border”. Nevertheless the fee remains cheaper than the US ESTA ($21/£17) and Canada’s eTA (C$7/£4), although more expensive than the forthcoming EU ETIAS (€7/£6). Travel managers should ensure that self-service booking tools and pre-trip approval workflows reflect the new cost, and remind staff that an ETA remains valid for two years, covering multiple journeys. Companies that sponsor short-term secondments under the Business Visitor route should verify that visiting staff have updated their expense caps accordingly.
For travellers who would rather let a specialist handle the paperwork, VisaHQ offers a streamlined ETA application service that checks your documents, submits the form and monitors approval status—reducing the risk of delays or refusals. You can begin the process and see full details at https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/
The ETA is mandatory for visa-waiver nationals—including US, Australian and Gulf travellers—who intend to visit the UK for up to six months for business or tourism. Because business visitors make up roughly a third of ETA holders, the extra £4 per traveller could add meaningful cost to high-frequency corporate travel programmes. Government officials say the uplift is needed to fund biometric upgrades and risk-analysis algorithms at the UK’s “digital border”. Nevertheless the fee remains cheaper than the US ESTA ($21/£17) and Canada’s eTA (C$7/£4), although more expensive than the forthcoming EU ETIAS (€7/£6). Travel managers should ensure that self-service booking tools and pre-trip approval workflows reflect the new cost, and remind staff that an ETA remains valid for two years, covering multiple journeys. Companies that sponsor short-term secondments under the Business Visitor route should verify that visiting staff have updated their expense caps accordingly.
