![\"UK](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/additional_1_a886fd22-d488-4d11-bdc0-d9a406cfb1d6_middle.jpg\")
<\/p>\nThe Home Office has quietly confirmed that the charge for the UK\u2019s new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) will rise by 25 %, from \u00a316 to \u00a320, when full enforcement begins on 25 February 2026. The increase, first reported on 8 February 2026 by industry outlet Travel and Tour World, comes only ten months after the \u00a316 fee was set and just weeks before carriers must adopt a strict \u201cno ETA, no travel\u201d policy.<\/p>\n
Under the ETA scheme, nationals who are currently visa-exempt for short stays\u2014including citizens of the EU, United States, Canada and Australia\u2014must obtain digital permission before boarding a flight, ferry or Eurostar train to the UK. Airlines and other carriers will face civil penalties if they carry passengers who require, but do not hold, an ETA. The price rise is intended to offset the escalating cost of biometric vetting, carrier connectivity and the roll-out of the UK\u2019s \u201cdigital border\u201d.<\/p>\n
For global mobility managers the jump from \u00a316 to \u00a320 is significant in both cost and optics. A family of four visiting on holiday will now pay \u00a380 instead of \u00a364, and a multinational relocating staff for repeated short-term assignments could see hundreds of pounds added to annual travel budgets. Employers must also factor in operational disruption: staff who forget to apply\u2014or who change passports\u2014cannot be checked-in.<\/p>\n
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Carriers have started updating booking flows to prompt travellers for ETA numbers, but HR teams are advised to issue formal reminders, add ETA fields to travel approval systems, and brief assignees on the 48- to 72-hour processing window. Companies with large volumes of intra-EU travel should review budgets and consider pre-purchasing ETAs where itineraries are known.<\/p>\n