Let’s not be as puzzlingly confusing as to the launch of the new electronic travel authorization (ETA) in the UK.
It is enough to point out that nothing seems to be going well in this world, and the new mandatory verification scheme for all visitors to the UK is no exception.
New ETA system, In our usual plain style, our usual plain style is fully explained in this linkeffective on January 8, 2025.
Travelers, including not only American citizens, but also Canada, Mexico, Australia and Many other countriesnow you have to buy ETA before traveling to the UK. The price per applicant for this nasty bureaucracy is £10 (at today’s exchange rate of $12), and has been visited multiple times over a two-year period.
Until this week, the ETA was also executed by transport passengers, i.e., changing planes only in the UK, rather than people who control and leave the airport through borders.
But the Holy Hell is brought up in many ways, including from the owner of the airline, who warns that the charges may They spend about 4 million passengers a year Because travelers can avoid fees by choosing airlines to fly to the continent.
Therefore, the UK Home Office, which established the ETA, has been announced By statement After all, there will be no charge for connecting passengers. “Feedback from the aviation industry,” the statement said. [to] Passengers who ride in the Air Force are temporarily exempted and therefore will not pass UK border controls. ”
The “temporary” not only shows that the UK government is reluctant to admit misestimation, but also intends to adjust the plan to restore lost revenue by relaxing the rules for transit airline passengers.
We can infer this because in the same statement, the Home Office said it hopes to increase the price of ETA from £10 to £16 (about $19.50), pending parliamentary approval.
The “temporary nature” in the statement further suggests that if the government cannot recover the lost funds by raising expenses for everyone else, the Home Office can restore the ETA to connect passengers.
The new exemption will primarily affect London Heathrow and Manchester Airports as they are the only airports in the country that can change passengers for other international flights.
To avoid paying for ETA when Heathrow changes flights, you have to follow the purple sign for flight connections (pictured above) and you won’t exit through border controls to reach other terminals, just like some popular travel hackers like to do.
If you book two separate flight reservations independently at Heathrow Airport, you may not have the option to exit and re-enter, requiring ETA payment. To legally avoid fees, make sure the airline you choose will check your luggage to your connected flight.
ETA is not the only government succumbs to business leaders after Brexit. The country also killed Refund VAT (VAT) For most tourists. The loss of VAT cost them millions of dollars as international shoppers have been choosing to spend elsewhere.