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Travel and borders · UK ETA · Electronic travel authorisation · UK border · Travel to the UK

UK ETA: every date, fee and country change from the 2023 launch to today

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A UK ETA costs £20 and is required for visa-free visitors, including most Europeans, Americans and Australians.

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An open suitcase packed with a striped towel, a dark blue passport, a film camera and headphonesIllustration
A packed suitcase with a passport, used to illustrate travel to the UK. Illustration, not a photo/footage of the event. Credit: Storyblocks.

The UK's electronic travel authorisation (ETA) is a digital permission that visa-free visitors need before travelling to the UK, and since 9 April 2026 to Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It opened for Qatari nationals on 15 November 2023 at £10, reached most Europeans on 2 April 2025, and GOV.UK now lists the fee as £20. Several countries have been removed from the list since launch.

Latest update

First version: every official UK ETA date, fee step and country-list change from the 2023 launch to the current £20 fee.

What changed in this version

Version 1, : Record created.

Key facts

  • An ETA currently costs £20, according to GOV.UK. [1]
  • With an ETA, a visa-free visitor can come to the UK, and to Jersey, Guernsey or the Isle of Man, for stays of up to 6 months. Most visitors from Europe, the USA, Australia and Canada need one rather than a visa. [1]
  • European visitors have needed an ETA to travel since 2 April 2025. [2]
Timeline of the UK ETA: Qatari nationals could apply from 25 October 2023 and needed an ETA from 15 November 2023 at a £10 fee; Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, UAE, Saudi Arabia and Jordan from 22 February 2024; Colombia removed 26 November 2024; law laid on 16 January 2025 to let the fee rise to £16; Europeans could apply from 5 March 2025; Trinidad and Tobago removed 12 March 2025; Europeans needed an ETA from 2 April 2025; Botswana removed 14 October 2025; Nauru removed 9 December 2025; Nicaragua and St Lucia removed 5 March 2026; from 9 April 2026 an ETA also covers Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. A side panel shows the fee: £10 at launch, £16 allowed by the January 2025 law, £20 listed now, with the date the £20 fee took effect not stated on the GOV.UK pages checked.
Graphic by Stories of Record, from the sources below. Every dated change to the UK ETA, from GOV.UK pages. Credit: Stories of Record, from GOV.UK pages (all rights reserved).

Timeline

  1. Since 9 April 2026 an ETA also covers travel to Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. [5]
  2. Nationals of Nicaragua and St Lucia lost access to the ETA on 5 March 2026. [5]
  3. On 3 February 2026 the embassy removed the price from its page, saying the cost will change in the future. [2]
  4. Nauruan nationals lost access to the ETA on 9 December 2025. [5]
  5. Botswana was removed from the ETA list on 14 October 2025. [5]
  6. European visitors have needed an ETA to travel since 2 April 2025. [2]
  7. Trinidad and Tobago nationals lost access to the ETA on 12 March 2025. [5]
  8. Applications opened on 5 March 2025 for nationals of EU countries other than Ireland, and of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. [5]
  9. On 16 January 2025 the Home Office laid legislation allowing the ETA fee to rise to £16. [3]
  10. Colombia was taken off the ETA list on 26 November 2024 because Colombians now need a visa. [5]
  11. Nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan needed an ETA from 22 February 2024, with applications open from 1 February 2024. [4]
  12. The scheme opened on 15 November 2023, when Qatari nationals began needing an ETA. It cost £10 at launch. [4]
  13. Qatari nationals, the first to use the scheme, could apply from 25 October 2023. [4]

What is confirmed

  • One ETA covers multiple trips of up to six months each for two years, or until the passport it is linked to expires if that comes first. [2]
  • Travellers must use the passport they applied with; a new passport needs a new ETA. [2]
  • Every traveller needs their own ETA, babies and children included. [1]
  • Holders of a British or Irish passport, or of permission to live, work or study in the UK, do not need one. [1]
  • Passengers who pass through UK border control while changing flights need an ETA. Airside transit passengers were given a temporary exemption in January 2025. [1] [3]
  • Most applications are decided automatically within minutes, but GOV.UK advises allowing three working days. [2]
  • Qatari nationals, the first to use the scheme, could apply from 25 October 2023. [4]
  • The scheme opened on 15 November 2023, when Qatari nationals began needing an ETA. It cost £10 at launch. [4]
  • Nationals of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Jordan needed an ETA from 22 February 2024, with applications open from 1 February 2024. [4]
  • Colombia was taken off the ETA list on 26 November 2024 because Colombians now need a visa. [5]
  • On 16 January 2025 the Home Office laid legislation allowing the ETA fee to rise to £16. [3]
  • Applications opened on 5 March 2025 for nationals of EU countries other than Ireland, and of Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. [5]
  • Trinidad and Tobago nationals lost access to the ETA on 12 March 2025. [5]
  • On 26 June 2025 the British Embassy in Helsinki updated its ETA page to show a price of £16 instead of £10. [2]
  • Botswana was removed from the ETA list on 14 October 2025. [5]
  • Nauruan nationals lost access to the ETA on 9 December 2025. [5]
  • On 3 February 2026 the embassy removed the price from its page, saying the cost will change in the future. [2]
  • Nationals of Nicaragua and St Lucia lost access to the ETA on 5 March 2026. [5]
  • Since 9 April 2026 an ETA also covers travel to Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. [5]
  • EU, EEA and Swiss citizens with settled or pre-settled status under the EU Settlement Scheme, or with an EU Settlement Scheme family permit, need neither a visa nor an ETA. [6]
  • The Home Office describes the ETA as part of a more digital border for the millions of people who cross it each year. [3]

What remains unconfirmed

No open questions are being tracked.

Why it matters

The Home Office says millions of people pass through the UK border each year, and visa-free visitors from most of Europe, the US and Australia now need an ETA before they travel. Each traveller, including babies, needs their own. The fee has doubled since launch, and the list of eligible countries keeps changing.

What happens next

No upcoming events are known.

Questions

How much does a UK ETA cost now?

GOV.UK lists the fee as £20. It was £10 at launch in November 2023, and the Home Office laid legislation in January 2025 allowing it to rise to £16.

When did the fee rise to £20?

The GOV.UK pages we checked show the current £20 fee but do not state the date it took effect. We will add it to this record once an official source confirms it.

How long does an ETA last?

Two years, or until the passport it is linked to expires if sooner. It covers multiple visits of up to six months each.

Do EU citizens need a UK ETA?

Yes, except Irish citizens and people with EU Settlement Scheme status or a family permit. Europeans have needed one to travel since 2 April 2025.

Do children need their own ETA?

Yes. Every traveller needs their own, including babies and children.

I'm only changing planes in the UK. Do I need one?

You need one if you pass through UK border control. Passengers who stay airside were given a temporary exemption in January 2025.

Sources

  1. Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA) to visit the UK, GOV.UKOfficial (government)
    Accessed 7 October 2026.
  2. Finns travelling to UK need an Electronic Travel Authorisation, GOV.UKOfficial (government)
    Accessed 7 October 2026.
  3. Next steps for a more efficient immigration system, GOV.UKOfficial (government)
    Accessed 7 October 2026.
  4. UK opens electronic travel authorisation scheme, GOV.UKOfficial (government)
    Accessed 7 October 2026.
  5. Check if you can get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA), GOV.UKOfficial (government)
    Accessed 7 October 2026.
  6. Visiting the UK as an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, GOV.UKOfficial (government)
    Accessed 7 October 2026.

People, places and organizations

organization
Home Office
organization
UK Visas and Immigration