If you’ve been to the UK lately, you probably noticed the price for that ETA thing just keeps going up. It started at a pretty small £10, but now it’s £20. That’s like… a 100% jump in just two years.
Here is the breakdown how it happeneds and what u need to know for your next trip..
The full price history..
October 2023: The ETA starts out as a pilots for just £10…
April 9, 2025: The fee jump to £16.. This is when the started making European get it too..
April 8, 2026: It hits £20…
So yeah, the price literally doubled in about 2 and a half year. It is basically mandatory for everyone now, so they are definitely making the most of it…
The deadline where they stopped being nice
The fee isn’t the only thing that changed. Since February 25, 2026, they have this “no permission, no travel” rule.
Before that, you could kinda get away with not having it if you were from a visa-exempt country, but not anymore. Now, airlines just won’t let you on the plane if you don’t have it. No exceptions at the gate, which is honestly a nightmare if you forget.
Who actually needs one?
The ETA is for people from about 85 countries—so if you’re from the US, Canada, Australia, or the EU, this is for you.
What it’s for: Tourism, business, visiting family… basically short trips.
How long u can stay; Up to 6 month at a time…
How long it lasts; two years, or until your passport expires..
Entries: You can go in and out as much as you want while it’s valid.
One thing to remember.. The prices u pay depends on when u apply. If u got yours before the April 2026 hike, yu still got the £16 deal even if your trip is later…
Why is it getting so expensive?
The UK Home Office basically says they want travelers to pay for the border systems instead of using tax money. They call it “user-funded.” Since 2023, they’ve done over 30 million of these things. All that extra cash is supposedly going toward better digital border tech and biometrics.
Indian nationals have it a bit harder
Not everyone follows the same path. For example, people from India actually need two things—a UK eVisa and an ETA. It’s a lot more paperwork than what most other people have to do.
Just a heads up
The official price is £20. If you see a site charging way more, it’s probably a scam or a middleman trying to make a buck. Just use the official gov.uk site.
And seriously, don’t wait until you’re at the airport to do this. Get it sorted way before you book anything non-refundable.
This is just general info. Always check the official UK gov website before you travel because rules change all the time.