How Much Is an Eta for London

The current UK ETA price is £20 per person. That is the amount shown in the leading official information for travelers visiting London or elsewhere in the UK.

The fee applies to each traveler, so a family of four should plan for four separate £20 charges. The ETA can cover visits of up to six months, but every traveler should check their own eligibility before applying.

The current UK ETA cost for a London trip

A UK ETA costs £20 for each person. It’s a travel authorisation for eligible visitors who want to travel to the UK without applying for a regular visitor visa first.

The price is in pounds, so the amount shown on your card statement in US dollars may vary with the exchange rate and any card fees. The official fee itself is £20.

For a simple family budget:

• One traveler: £20
• Two travelers: £40
• Four travelers: £80

The charge is made per person. It isn’t one payment that covers everyone listed on a family booking.

What the £20 ETA fee includes—and what it does not

The £20 payment covers the application for the electronic travel authorisation. It lets an eligible traveler request permission to travel to the UK for a visit of up to six months.

The fee is described as paid once and non-refundable. That means you shouldn’t treat it like a refundable booking deposit if your plans change.

The ETA is also different from a standard visa. You may see people call it an “ETA visa,” but that wording can be confusing. An ETA is an electronic travel authorisation, not the same application as a UK visa.

The fee does not cover:

• Your flights, hotel or train tickets
• Travel insurance
• Any visa application that may be needed for your situation
• Costs for other people in your group

Before paying, check the official eligibility information. The right travel permission depends on your citizenship and travel plans.

Does each traveler need a separate ETA?

Yes, the fee is per traveler. If several people are going to London, each person who needs an ETA must have their own application and authorisation.

That includes children who are traveling with a parent or carer. Don’t assume that adding a child to your flight or hotel booking also adds them to your UK travel permission.

A useful family check is to write down every person traveling:

1. Parent or carer
2. Children and teenagers
3. Other relatives or friends in the group
4. Anyone using a different passport

Then check each traveler against the official eligibility rules. This is especially helpful when people in the same group have different citizenships or passports.

Do US citizens need an ETA to visit the UK?

US travelers should expect to need a UK ETA for an eligible visit to London or elsewhere in the UK. The ETA is part of the UK’s entry requirements for eligible travelers, and guidance aimed at Americans lists the fee as £20 per person.

Still, don’t rely only on your destination or your flight booking. Use the official eligibility checker before applying. It can help confirm whether your citizenship and trip require an ETA or another type of travel permission.

For US families, check every passport separately. A child, parent or carer may have a different citizenship or passport from the rest of the group, which can affect what they need.

The ETA does not replace a passport. Make sure your travel documents are ready before you start the application, and use the details from the document you plan to travel with.

When to apply: processing time and travel planning

A travel alert in the available guidance says an ETA may take up to three working days to process. That is the key timing figure to keep in mind when planning your trip.

Apply before you leave for the UK. Waiting until the airport can create a stressful problem if the application takes the full processing time or needs extra attention.

For a family trip, a safer plan is to apply as soon as your London plans are firm enough and then check that every traveler has been dealt with. Don’t leave one child’s application until the last minute simply because the adults have already applied.

A quick pre-departure checklist

Before your flight, confirm:

• You checked eligibility for every traveler.
• You budgeted £20 per person.
• You applied through an official UK ETA channel.
• You allowed up to three working days for processing.
• You kept the travel document details consistent with the application.
• You checked the status of each person in your group before departure.

The fee is non-refundable, so take a moment to review the details before submitting each application.

How to apply through the official UK ETA channels

You can make a UK ETA online application through the official GOV.UK ETA service. There is also an official app route. Search for the official UK ETA app download option rather than choosing an app or website that simply uses similar words.

The online and app routes are different ways to submit the application. They don’t mean different prices. The current official fee remains £20 per person through the proper channel.

Be cautious with websites that offer to submit an application for you. A third-party site may add its own service charge, making the total higher than £20. It may also make it less clear what you are paying for.

Use the Gov UK ETA information and application pages to:

• Check whether you need an ETA
• Confirm the current price
• Choose the online or app application route
• Apply for each eligible traveler
• Review the official timing guidance

If you’re applying for several family members, keep a simple note of who has applied and when. That small step can prevent one person from being missed.

How long a UK ETA remains valid

A prominent result says a UK ETA can remain valid for two years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first.

During that period, it may be used for visits to the UK of up to six months, subject to the relevant rules for the traveler and trip. The ETA’s validity period is separate from the length of one visit. In other words, being able to use the authorisation for two years does not mean you can stay in the UK for two years on one visit.

If your passport expires sooner, the shorter period matters. Check the official information for your circumstances before relying on an existing ETA for a later trip.

Why some websites still show a £10 ETA price

You may find search results, travel alerts or older pages that list the UK ETA at £10. That figure conflicts with the current £20 price shown in the leading official results.

The difference may be caused by older information still appearing online. Forum posts and travel pages can also show dollar conversions or prices from an earlier stage, which adds to the confusion.

For planning purposes, use £20 per person unless the official GOV.UK information clearly shows a different current fee when you apply. Don’t let an old £10 figure set your family budget, and don’t pay extra to a third-party site without checking what that added charge covers.

Before you book or depart, visit the official GOV.UK ETA application and eligibility information. Confirm who needs an ETA, check the current £20 fee, and apply through the official route rather than paying an unrelated third-party website.