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.