The UK Is Dropping Its ETA Fee for These Specific Passengers — What to Know

The United Kingdom has proposed raising its electronic travel authorization (ETA) fee just weeks after it went into effect, but will no longer require it for transit passengers who are not leaving the airport.

The ETA fee, which went into effect for most travelers on Jan. 8, including from the United States, currently costs £10 ($12.28) to apply. However, the UK has now proposed raising the cost to £16 ($19.65).

With that, the UK government said last week travelers no longer need to pay if they are not passing through border control. 

“As part of the government’s Plan for Change, 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 Home Office wrote in a statement. “However, following feedback from the aviation industry, the government has agreed a temporary exemption for passengers who transit airside, and therefore do not pass through UK border control.”

Following the announcement, Willie Walsh, the director general of the International Air Transport Association (IATA) said he opposed the increase, calling the proposal and its timing “bewildering.”

“If implemented it would be a self-inflicted blow to the UK’s tourism competitiveness,” Walsh said in a statement. “It’s time for the UK government to see the big picture. It has everything to gain by making the UK a more cost-competitive travel destination — including the substantial tax revenues that travelers generate. It makes no sense to discourage visitors with high costs even before they set foot in the country.”

Beyond the UK, the European Commission plans to roll out its own electronic authorization sometime this year called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (or ETIAS). That fee will cost €7 ($7.27).

The U.S. also has its own Electronic System for Travel Authorization (or ESTA), which is available to travelers from countries granted a Visa Waiver Program. The application fee for ESTA costs $21.