The UK Parliament has approved an amendment to legislation that allows for a further price increase of the UK ETA. In addition, two nationalities will be excluded from the ETA system.
A British Parliament decision
On 3 March 2026, the British Parliament approved the “Immigration and Nationality (Fees) (Amendment) Order 2026”, a bill increasing the maximum fees for various types of visas. The maximum fee for the ETA will go from 18.50 EUR (16 GBP) to 23,10 EUR (20 GBP).
What will happen now?
This decision will not result in an immediate price increase of the UK ETA consular fees. Currently, these fees remain at 18.50 EUR (16 GBP). However, it is expected that the British Parliament will raise the price of the UK ETA fees to the maximum amount of 20 GBP in a forthcoming session.
Price increase for European travellers not yet in force
For now, the consular fees for the UK ETA will not be increased. European travellers require an ETA or a visa to travel to the United Kingdom.
The ETA UK is the simplest and quickest way to meet the UK’s visa requirements. On e-Visa.co.uk you can easily apply for this digital travel authorisation. To do so, please complete the short application form and submit an ID photo and a passport scan.
The UK ETA has an average delivery time of 3 days. If you are travelling at short notice, you can submit an urgent application. Urgent applications are processed within 6 hours on average.
The ETA UK has a validity of 2 years and can be used to travel multiple times to the United Kingdom. Each stay may last up to 6 months. Find out more here about the validity and the requirements.
What are the reasons for the price increase, according to the authorities?
The State Secretary for the Home Department, David Hanson, declared that the United Kingdom wants to bring the cost of the ETA UK into line with the costs of similar travel authorisations, such as the ESTA for the United States or the planned ETIAS for countries in the Schengen area.
According to the State Secretary, the price remains reasonable and the price increase will not discourage travellers from visiting the United Kingdom. Furthermore, the additional revenue generated by the price increase will be invested in the UK’s immigration services.
Nicaragua and Saint Lucia excluded from the ETA system
In addition to the planned price increase, the UK government has also decided to no longer allow travellers from Nicaragua and Saint Lucia to apply for an ETA UK. Travellers from these countries must now apply for a traditional visa if they want to visit the United Kingdom.
According to the British governement, the reason for this is that many nationals from these countries travel to the United Kingdom on an ETA, whereas their real intention is to apply for asylum. In total, 609 people from Nicaragua and 360 people from Saint Lucia applied for asylum in the United Kingdom between 2022 and 2025. The British Home Secretary believes this amount of applications is too high.
In addition, the British government has strongly criticised Saint Lucia’s citizenship-by-investment programme. This programme is said to have led to an increase of people travelling to the United Kingdom on an ETA to apply for asylum or to work without a work permit. A transition period is in place until 16 April 2026 (15:00 BST) for travellers from these two countries.