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Rule changes

What has changed, and when

The UK ETA scheme has changed repeatedly since it launched — the fee alone has moved three times. This page records every change, with the date it took effect.

Because of these changes, a great many pages on the internet still quote the old £10 or £16 fee. The current official fee is £20. We re-check every figure on this site against GOV.UK and stamp the date we did it.

  1. What you can do

    What visitors can do on an ETA was widened

    Statement of Changes HC 584 took effect. Visitors, including ETA holders, may now attend workshops and debates, take part in skills competitions, attend rehearsals if they are performers, and take UK training even when the same training is available at home. The application, the £20 fee and the validity period did not change. ETAs applied for before 8 October are decided under the previous rules.

  2. Who needs one

    ETA now covers Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man

    A single Electronic Travel Authorisation became valid for travel to the Crown Dependencies as well as the United Kingdom. Holders do not need a separate permission for those islands.

  3. Fee change

    Official fee rose from £16 to £20

    The Home Office increased the ETA fee by 25%. This is the second increase since the scheme launched at £10. Any site still quoting £10 or £16 is out of date — check the fee before you pay anyone.

  4. Who needs one

    Requirement became mandatory for over 80 nationalities

    Enforcement began for the full list of visa-exempt nationalities. Airlines are now required to verify a valid ETA before boarding, and will refuse carriage without one.

  5. Fee change

    Fee rose from £10 to £16

    The first increase since launch, seven days after European nationals came into scope. The two changes are widely reported as one event; they were a week apart.

  6. Who needs one

    EU and EEA nationals brought into the scheme

    European travellers became subject to the ETA requirement, having been able to apply since 5 March 2025. An EU identity card is no longer sufficient for most visitors — a passport is required.

  7. Who needs one

    Six Gulf and Middle East nationalities became the first required to hold an ETA

    Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates became subject to the requirement, having been able to apply since 1 February. Qatar was already required, from 15 November 2023. Jordan left the scheme on 10 September 2024 when Jordanians became visa nationals. Because an ETA runs for two years, many of these first authorisations have since expired.

  8. Launch

    Scheme opened for Qatari nationals at £10

    Applications opened on 25 October 2023 and the requirement itself began on 15 November 2023. The Electronic Travel Authorisation started as a pilot, priced at £10 and valid for two years or until passport expiry.

Every entry is taken from GOV.UK and Home Office announcements. Last checked 2026-10-12. gov.uk/eta

Applying with the current rules

We re-verify the fee and the eligible nationality list before every filing.

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