London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 18, 2025

Home Office considers charging EU citizens to visit Britain

Home Office considers charging EU citizens to visit Britain

The new Electronic Travel Authorisation scheme would be based on the US model, which costs £9
The Home Office is considering charging EU citizens and other travellers a fee to visit the UK under a new scheme that would further tighten restrictions on countries with whom Britain until recently had free movement.

Priti Patel, the home secretary, is set to announce a new US-style digital visa system on Monday that she says will help the government keep closer track of the number of people entering and exiting the country.

The new Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) would be required for all visitors without a visa or immigration status travelling to Britain – around 30 million people a year.

The scheme is modelled on the American Electronic System for Travel Authorization or ESTA.

Officials confirmed to The Independent that the government was considering charging a passenger fee to cover the cost of the new border bureaucracy.

They said evidence from other countries with similar programmes showed that charging for the mini-visa application would not deter legitimate travellers. The US charges travellers $14, around £9.

The EU is developing its own similar scheme, European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), which is expected to apply to UK visitors to the bloc when it launches from 2022, a result of the Brexit deal ending free movement.

ETIAS, which has been repeatedly delayed, most recently by the Covid pandemic, is anticipated to have a fee of €7 or £6. Other countries outside the bloc like Norway and Iceland with closer trade relationships with Brussels are likely to be exempt from ETIAS.

Under a combination of both ETIAS and ETA, EU citizens would be charged to visit the UK and UK nationals would be charged to visit the EU – a stunning reversal from the situation last year when travellers enjoyed free movement.

The Home Office says the British scheme is expected to be in place from 2025.

Officials argue the new bureaucracy for travellers – which will see holidaymakers fill in extra forms ahead of their departure and wait for confirmation before being allowed to proceed with their journey – will make it easier for them to carry out automated and early security checks.

They say these checks are necessary to stop criminals arriving in the UK.

Applicants will only be allowed to travel once their ETA has been approved, meaning spur-of-the-moment travel to the continent would potentially become more difficult

Ahead of the announcement of the new scheme, Ms Patel said: “Now we have taken back control and ended free movement, security is at the very heart of our immigration strategy.

"Our new approach will make it easier to identify potential threats before they reach the border."

Naomi Smith, chief executive of of Best for Britain, a pro-European campaign group, said: "Slapping charges on arrivals from the EU and elsewhere would send completely the wrong signal to the world. It would show the government wants to build fortress Britain rather than a truly global Britain.

"Our polling shows most voters, including those who backed leave, want us to be an outward-looking country that works with its allies in Europe and around the world.

"We should be working together to remove barriers to trade and free travel wherever possible, to give businesses and families the best chance to bounce back from the pandemic."
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
Australia’s Wedgetail Spies Aid NATO Response as Russian MiGs Breach Estonian Airspace
McGowan Urges Chalmers to Cut Spending Over Tax Hike to Close $20 Billion Budget Gap
Victoria Orders Review of Transgender Prison Placement Amid Safety Concerns for Female Inmates
U.S. Treasury Mobilises New $20 Billion Debt Facility to Stabilise Argentina
French Business Leaders Decry Budget as Macron’s Pro-Enterprise Promise Undermined
Trump Claims Modi Pledged India Would End Russian Oil Imports Amid U.S. Tariff Pressure
Surging AI Startup Valuations Fuel Bubble Concerns Among Top Investors
Australian Punter Archie Wilson Tears Up During Nebraska Press Conference, Sparking Conversation on Male Vulnerability
Australia Confirms U.S. Access to Upgraded Submarine Shipyard Under AUKUS Deal
“Firepower” Promised for Ukraine as NATO Ministers Meet — But U.S. Tomahawks Remain Undecided
Brands Confront New Dilemma as Extremists Adopt Fashion Labels
The Sydney Sweeney and Jeans Storm: “The Outcome Surpassed Our Wildest Dreams”
Erika Kirk Delivers Moving Tribute at White House as Trump Awards Charlie Presidential Medal of Freedom
British Food Influencer ‘Big John’ Detained in Australia After Visa Dispute
ScamBodia: The Chinese Fraud Empire Shielded by Cambodia’s Ruling Elite
French PM Suspends Macron’s Pension Reform Until After 2027 in Bid to Stabilize Government
Orange, Bouygues and Free Make €17 Billion Bid for Drahi’s Altice France Telecom Assets
Dutch Government Seizes Chipmaker After U.S. Presses for Removal of Chinese CEO
Bessent Accuses China of Dragging Down Global Economy Amid New Trade Curbs
U.S. Revokes Visas of Foreign Nationals Who ‘Celebrated’ Charlie Kirk’s Assassination
AI and Cybersecurity at Forefront as GITEX Global 2025 Kicks Off in Dubai
DJI Loses Appeal to Remove Pentagon’s ‘Chinese Military Company’ Label
EU Deploys New Biometric Entry/Exit System: What Non-EU Travelers Must Know
Australian Prime Minister’s Private Number Exposed Through AI Contact Scraper
Ex-Microsoft Engineer Confirms Famous Windows XP Key Was Leaked Corporate License, Not a Hack
China’s lesson for the US: it takes more than chips to win the AI race
Australia Faces Demographic Risk as Fertility Falls to Record Low
California County Reinstates Mask Mandate in Health Facilities as Respiratory Illness Risk Rises
Israel and Hamas Agree to First Phase of Trump-Brokered Gaza Truce, Hostages to Be Freed
French Political Turmoil Elevates Marine Le Pen as Rassemblement National Poised for Power
China Unveils Sweeping Rare Earth Export Controls to Shield ‘National Security’
The Davos Set in Decline: Why the World Economic Forum’s Power Must Be Challenged
France: Less Than a Month After His Appointment, the New French Prime Minister Resigns
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán stated that Hungary will not adopt the euro because the European Union is falling apart.
Sarah Mullally Becomes First Woman Appointed Archbishop of Canterbury
×