US ESTA Fee Nearly Doubles to $40: What Travellers Need to Know

The price of an Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA), used by most British and other visa-waiver visitors to the United States, is almost doubling. From 30 September 2025, Washington time, the cost of an application rises from $21 (about £16) to $40 (about £30).

Anyone planning to visit the US before the permit's two-year validity runs out can still lock in the lower price by completing and paying for an application before the deadline. Applications completed and paid for no later than 29 September were charged at the old rate.

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What is changing and when

The ESTA is the travel authorisation that most visa-waiver visitors use to enter the US, and it remains valid for two years once issued. The increase takes the headline price from $21 to $40, an almost doubling that travellers will notice.

The make-up of the fee explains where the money goes. The "travel promotion fee" element of $17 is unchanged, and the operational fee rises by $6. The largest part of the increase, at least $13, is a new Treasury General Fund fee added under the One Big Beautiful Bill Act, which goes to the US government.

Why the price is rising

When the ESTA launched in 2008 it was free. A $14 fee was introduced in 2010, and in May 2022 the cost rose by half to $21. The latest change represents a near-tripling of the fee in barely three years.

The new law also sets the fee to rise with inflation, using the July US consumer price index. With July 2025 inflation at 2.7 per cent, the cost is expected to edge up by about a dollar to $41 in 2026.

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Avoiding overpriced sites, and the ETIAS parallel

Travellers should be wary of third-party websites that pay for high search rankings and add charges that can multiply the true cost of an ESTA. These sites have no connection to the US government and are often based abroad, so it is safest to apply through the official channel.

Europe is on a similar path. The EU's forthcoming ETIAS, due to take effect around late 2026, has nearly tripled from its originally proposed €7 to €20. If a trip to the Schengen area is on your horizon, it is worth learning how to start an ETIAS application through the proper route so you do not overpay either.