UK government announces cost of the Electronic Travel Authorisation

On 6 June 2023, the UK government announced the price of an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA).

The ETA is a new requirement for people who do not need a visa to come to the UK. It gives them permission to travel to the UK, is electronically linked to their passport and will cost £10 per applicant. It will last for two years, unless your passport expires in less than two years, in which case the traveller will need a new ETA.

ETAs can be applied for via the UK ETA app or online via the GOV.UK website. Each traveller is required to have their own ETA, including children and babies.

GOV.UK states that ‘from 15 November 2023, you’ll need an ETA if you’re travelling to the UK and you’re a national of Qatar. From 22 February 2024, you’ll need an ETA if you’re travelling to the UK and you’re a national of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia or United Arab Emirates’, with more nationalities to be added to the scheme later.

The government website says that a traveller from the aforementioned countries will need an ETA to:

• Come to the UK for up to six months for tourism, visiting family and friends, business or study
• Come to the UK for up to three months on the Creative Worker visa concession
• Transit through the UK – including if you’re not going through UK border control.

It also states that if a traveller has a British or Irish passport; permission to live, work or study in the UK; or a visa to enter the UK, an ETA is not required. Additionally, if a traveller is a legal resident in Ireland and does not need a visa to visit the UK, they will not need an ETA if they enter the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man.