The United Kingdom on 6th June 2023 announced a 12.50 US Dollar entry fee for Visa-exempt travellers to the UK. This is something that we had been awaiting since the 9th March 2023 of this year when the UK announced the updates to the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA). The United Kingdom is not the first one to introduce a nominal fee of this type. The United States and Europe both had a fee of 21.50 US dollars and 7.50 US Dollars for Europe.
Who is affected by the 12.50 US Dollars Visa Fee?
The 12.50 US Dollar or 10 GBP is for travellers who are eligible under the Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) scheme. As per gov.uk website, the visa exemption is getting introduced from 15th November 2023, starting from the nationals of Qatar. Going forward the further 6 more countries will get added under the ETA scheme. Following are the countries which will get added from 22nd February 2024:
- Bahrain
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Oman
- Saudi Arabia
- United Arab Emirates
More nationalities will be added to the scheme later. To know more about Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) check out our detailed news article here “Electronic Travel Authorisation Scheme for Visa-Exempt Nationals”
If you are a traveller who is planning your holidays in London, United Kingdom. You can book your visa consultation with iVisa here, they will take care of all your visa requirements and compliances basis the recent changes in the UK visa application processes.
On 25th July 2023, further changes were brought into effect for people who are travelling from Ireland
If you live in Ireland and you’re not an Irish citizen
You will not need an ETA if all of the following apply:
- you’re legally resident in Ireland
- you do not need a visa to enter the UK
- you’re entering the UK from Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey or the Isle of Man
You can prove you live in Ireland by showing any of the following:
- Irish driving licence
- Irish learner permit
- medical card
- GP visit card
- European Health Insurance Card
- Irish Residence Permit
- Permanent Residence Certificate
- Temporary Residence Certificate
- National Age Card
The document must be:
- an original
- issued by the Irish government
- valid at the time you travel
If you’re under 16, you will not be asked to show a document.
How to apply for the UK Visa hassle-free?
As there are so many rules and regulation updates happening around the UK visa every now and then, a lot of time inevitably goes into organising the paperwork, appointments and processing time. On top of all this, keeping up to date with the latest changes and updates ever since Brexit, is confusing. Who wants to get bogged down by the paperwork and long waiting time in the queues at the embassies?
We have recently partnered with iVisa.com. Their expertise lies in helping get you a visitor visa to travel to the UK and around the world. Simply create your account online, and share all the information, from passport-size photos to the type of documents you require. They cover all, helping you get your UK tour visa hassle-free.
Your visa application will get reviewed by the visa expert at iVisa, making sure that if any of the document is missing, they inform you well in advance and make sure the application gets approved swiftly. If the passport-size photo you have provided, does not match the visa compliance then the visa expert working on your application will inform you and will help you get new photos digitally.
They also offer passport renewal services, however, this is not for all countries but they offer this service for the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Ireland as of now.
iVisa offers 24/7 customer service, no matter if you are living in any part of the world and are planning your travel to the UK. iVisa representatives will help you throughout the visa process and let you worry about London tour and vacation plans.