Government confirms price of UK visa waiver for foreign visitors

The fee compares to the €7 to be charged by the European Union for its European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) for UK visitors following Brexit, which will be introduced in 2024. The US requires a similar Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) for all UK visitors, costing $21.

The ETA will be introduced from 15 November 2023, initially to visitors from Qatar. From 22 February 2024 it will apply to those who are nationals of Bahrain, Jordan, Kuwait, Oman, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The government said more nationalities would be added to the scheme at a later date.

Joss Croft UKinbound chief executive, criticised the concept of the ETA.

“The UK already ranks at the bottom for international price competitiveness because of a plethora of taxes and costs such as the high rates of VAT on hospitality, punishingly high Air Passenger Duty and the removal of tax free shopping,” he said. 

“Unfortunately, charging visitors a fee to come to the UK will only exacerbate this situation and potentially act as an additional barrier to the growth in international visitation to the UK. 
 
“Whilst we have begun to see welcome signs of recovery to the UK’s fifth largest export sector, we continue to lag behind our European neighbours, most of which are more price competitive and are not held back by sky-high taxes and costs. 

“We urge the government to keep the cost of the ETA under review as well as the decision to only produce the forms in English, which is in marked contrast to other nations.”