The entry document for tourists travelling to the United Kingdom – the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) – will likely become more expensive as the British Parliament has put forward a bill to increase the price for the required document by £6 (around €7).
The ETA was set to be introduced in November 2023 but its implementation has been pushed back several times. The requirement means that those travelling to the UK without a visa or legal residency rights must be able to present the document at the border.
"ETAs will deliver a more streamlined digital immigration system which will be quicker and more secure for the millions of people who pass through the UK border each year," the UK Government said on its website.
Since 8 January, the permit has been required for non-European travellers entering the country. It will also become mandatory for EU residents from 2 April (European travellers can apply for the document from 5 March).
'Abuse of the system'
However, less than a month into the scheme the UK Home Office announced plans to raise the price of an ETA: the cost of obtaining the document will go from £10 to £16 (converted from €12 to €18 approximately). Together with other price increases for immigration and nationality services, the measure should raise £269 million (€318 million) for the UK per year.
According to the Home Office, the ETA is intended to prevent "abuse of the immigration system."
The UK Home Office has also decided that transit travellers – those making a stopover in the UK en route to another destination – will be "temporarily" exempted from the ETA requirement. That exemption will be reviewed regularly.
Before going ahead, the proposed price hike still has to be debated and approved in the UK Parliament. Once it is approved, however, the new price will quickly be rolled out.
