How Much Is an Eta

The UK ETA costs £20 per person. That is the official fee for one traveler, whether you apply online or use the official app.

The word “ETA” causes a lot of confusion, though. Some search results use it for the UK’s Electronic Travel Authorisation. Others are talking about Canada’s eTA, which has a different fee. The US has a separate system called ESTA, and the supplied information does not confirm its current price.

So before you pay, check which country’s travel authorization you need.

How much a UK ETA costs

A UK ETA costs £20 per person.

That means each traveler needs their own application and pays their own fee. If two people are traveling, the official UK charge is £40 total. A family of four would pay £80 through the official route.

The fee is the same in both official application channels:

• The UK ETA application website
• The official UK ETA app

The currency matters here. The charge is £20 in British pounds, not £20 converted into US dollars or Canadian dollars. Your bank or card provider may show the converted amount in your own currency, but the listed UK fee is £20.

You pay the fee once as part of the application. The supplied information does not show a separate official fee for using the app instead of the website.

What the UK ETA fee includes—and what it does not

The £20 payment is the UK government’s stated application fee for one person. It covers the ETA application itself through an official UK channel.

The payment is:

• Per person
• Paid once
• Non-refundable

“Non-refundable” means you generally should not expect the £20 back after paying, even if your travel plans change or the application does not work out as you hoped. Check your details carefully before sending the application and paying.

The fee also does not automatically mean every website showing a UK ETA price is charging only £20. Private services may place their own charge on top of the government fee. That can make the final total much higher.

For example, one third-party listing shows a $28 USD ETA application fee and a separate $59 USD VisaHQ service fee. That is not the same as the official UK price of £20. It is a private service’s pricing structure.

The simple way to read the numbers is:

• Official UK ETA fee: £20 per person
• Possible third-party total: More than £20, depending on the service and its fees

UK ETA cost for US citizens

US citizens traveling to the UK may need a UK ETA. The requirement applies in the context of UK travel, so it should not be confused with a general travel authorization for every country.

For an eligible US traveler who needs one, the price is still £20 per person. There is no separate US-citizen price in the supplied information.

That means an American traveler should not assume the UK ETA is free because they are visiting from the United States. The same applies in reverse: the UK ETA fee should not be mistaken for the price of a US ESTA.

Before paying, make sure you are applying for the authorization connected to your actual trip:

• UK trip: You may need a UK ETA.
• Canada trip: You may need Canada’s eTA.
• US entry under the separate US system: This involves ESTA, not the UK ETA.

The country name is the key detail. “ETA” by itself is too broad to identify the right document.

Official UK ETA applications versus third-party services

The safest way to avoid an unexpected charge is to use the official UK application route. The official website and app charge the stated £20 fee, and one supplied result says official channels do not charge more than that fee.

Other websites may offer to complete the form for you. Some may look official because they use UK-related words, government-style colors, or search terms such as Gov UK ETA. A private site can still be separate from the UK government.

A third-party service may charge for things such as:

• Handling the application
• Reviewing the information you enter
• Sending updates
• Providing customer support

Those extras can be useful to some travelers, but they are not part of the official £20 UK fee. The example of $28 USD plus a $59 USD service fee shows how quickly the total can rise.

Before entering payment details, look for:

1. The name of the country issuing the authorization.
2. The fee shown in the correct currency.
3. Any separate service or processing charge.
4. Whether the site clearly identifies itself as an official government channel.

A website asking for much more than £20 may not be fraudulent. It may simply be selling an extra service. But you should know you are paying for that service rather than assuming it is the UK government fee.

Can you apply for a UK ETA at the airport?

The supplied information points travelers to the official online application or app. It does not confirm that you can apply for or buy a UK ETA at the airport.

Because of that, do not plan to sort out your ETA after arriving at the airport. An airline check-in desk or airport staff member may not be able to complete the application for you, and waiting until the last moment can create avoidable trouble.

Apply through the official online route or app before your trip. Keep a record of the email or confirmation connected with the application, and make sure your passport details match what you entered.

The main warning is simple: do not count on an airport application. The supplied guidance does not promise one.

UK ETA, Canada eTA, and ESTA: do not confuse the fees

Search engines often place these travel authorizations next to each other. Their names look similar, but they are separate systems with separate prices.

Canada’s document is usually written eTA, with a lowercase “e” at the start. The supplied Canadian fee is CAN$7, meaning seven Canadian dollars.

If you are looking for the eTA Canada application official website, make sure you are using Canada’s official application route. Do not assume the UK £20 price applies to Canada. Do not assume the Canadian CAN$7 price applies to the UK.

ESTA is different again. It is the US system, not another name for the UK ETA. The supplied research does not confirm whether ESTA costs $40, so you should not use that figure as a current price. The UK’s £20 and Canada’s CAN$7 are not ESTA prices.

This is why a search for “how much is an ETA” can produce several answers. The right answer depends on the country printed on the application.

How to apply online and check your ETA status

For a UK trip, start with the official UK ETA website or the official app. The fee is the same in either place: £20 per person.

Have your travel document details ready and check every field before making the one-time, non-refundable payment. Pay attention to names and document information. A small typing error can create problems later.

For Canada, use the official Canadian eTA application route instead. The listed fee there is CAN$7, not £20.

After applying, use the relevant official status-check service. Searchers may see the phrase “Check eTA status,” but remember that “eTA” often refers to Canada’s system. For a UK application, look for the UK ETA status or application-check option rather than assuming a Canadian page is the right one.

If a website asks for a fee above the official amount, pause before paying. Compare the listed government fee with any added service charge. For the UK, use the official application route and verify that the fee shown is £20 per person before accepting any third-party charge.