Minister for Immigration (): The government’s
number one priority is keeping the UK safe. In order to further
strengthen our border security, the government is launching an
Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme in October 2023.
The ETA scheme will be implemented in a phased manner, on a
nationality basis, by the end of 2024. Qatar, Bahrain, Jordan,
Kuwait, Oman, United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia will be the
first countries to benefit from the ETA scheme. The Home Office
will provide further details about which country will be next to
benefit from the ETA scheme in due course.
However, today I am announcing that the Home Office intends to
charge £10 for an ETA application during the initial rollout
period. This fee level is competitive with that of equivalent
systems run by other countries, and will ensure that the
department’s costs in delivering the scheme are effectively
covered across a range of volume scenarios.
In order to support the charging of this initial £10 fee, I am
laying an amendment to the Immigration and Nationality (Fees)
Order 2016 today to introduce the necessary enabling provisions
including a maximum chargeable fee. I will then lay regulations
before Parliament in the autumn to amend The Immigration and
Nationality (Fee) Regulations 2018 so that the initial fee of £10
will be established from October 2023.
The Home Office will review the fee charged for ETA applications
in advance of further roll out of the scheme across 2024,
including to the EU and other non-visa national countries.
Details on any further planned updates to the fee level following
the initial rollout period will be communicated in due course.
