ESTA fees to increase for US travel

Admin

November 7, 2025
3 min read

Those travelling to America from a number of countries via the ESTA will be hit with higher fees as part of Trump’s Big Beautiful Bill. The increase will be in costs associated with the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, the process travel applicants from countries that make up the Vias Waiver Program go through.

The countries include the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Israel, and most of Europe, along with a few countries from other regions including Qatar.

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Prior to this change, applicants to the ESTA system pay $21. Now, the mandatory fee will almost double to $40. It is one of a number of fee increases for travel to the US. Those arriving via a land border will also see their fees climb. Currently, they pay $6 but that has now climbed to $30. Those arriving from China will have to pay a $30 enrollment fee for the Electronic Visa Update System.

The increase in fees, combined with a $250 “visa integrity fee” for many travellers from non-visa waiver countries, comes as travel to the US is at an all-time low. CNN reports that many people are shying away from US travel, with the World Travel and Tourism Council expecting the country to lose around $12.5 billion in international visitor spending in 2025. It is the only nation out of 184 economies that the council analysed which expects to see a fall.

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