US starts charging entry fee to British travellers

by Donna Ferguson on 08 September 2010  |  31 comments
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First, they nicked the colours of our flag. Then, they changed the spellings of perfectly good English words like ‘colour’ and ‘realise’. And today, they’ve started charging us a fee to enter their country.

That’s right, as of today, Brits travelling to the USA will have to cough up a $14 (£9) fee for a special type of visa before they can enter the States.

The visa, known as an ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorisation), is mandatory for British travellers to the US but has been free since it was introduced in 2008. From today however, you’ll need to pay up to visit dear old Uncle Sam.

You must complete the form at least 3 days before you leave the UK, and it’s only valid for two years, after which you’ll need to complete another form if you want to enter the States again. It is, however, valid for multiple entries once you’ve got it, and you can apply online.

Yesterday, the website was overwhelmed with traffic as people rushed to do just that, for free,* before the deadline today.

Ironically, the charge has been introduced to encourage more people to visit the US, as visitor numbers have fallen significantly in recent years. The revenue gained from the fees will be used to position America as a top holiday destination.

But with money so tight at the moment, there seems little doubt the fee will do anything other than put most British travellers off.

Perhaps they should have offered us a £9 bribe to visit instead?

* I have been informed the phrase 'for free' is an Americanism. Grrr.

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