ElsewhereMath · Entry and scouting trip budget

Australia passport to the UK: entry and scouting trip budget

The third ElsewhereMath question: what would it take to visit, and could that visit become a move? Start with entry, then price the scouting trip that tests London in real life.

Last checked: 24 October 2026 · Route: Australia passport to United Kingdom · Status: Local draft for coordinator review, not yet published or merged.

Apply here, nowhere else

Use these official links directly. Do not search for an ETA application and click the first ad, that is how people land on copycat sites.

Entry checklist, short visit

  • UK ETA required: Australian passport holders need an approved UK Electronic Travel Authorisation before travel for a short visit, unless they already hold another qualifying UK immigration permission. This is the same ETA scheme as for US passport holders, applied to an Australian passport.
  • Cost: £20 per person through the official UK ETA app or GOV.UK, from 8 April 2026 (previously £16). Avoid third-party sites that add a surcharge.
  • Validity: 2 years, or until the passport used for the application expires, whichever comes first. Multiple visits, up to 6 months each, while it remains valid.
  • Everyone needs one: each traveller, including children and babies, needs their own ETA, linked to their own passport.
  • Timing: allow up to 3 working days for a decision, even though many decisions are faster. Do not leave it to departure day, and wait for the confirmation email before you travel.
  • Airside transit: passengers transiting airside, without passing through UK border control, are treated differently from landside transit. If you pass through border control, the ETA rule applies. Verify your exact transit case on GOV.UK, because transit exemptions have been described as temporary and under review.
  • Dual British or Irish citizens, take care: secondary summaries checked 24 October 2026 warn that dual British or Irish citizens cannot travel to the UK on an ETA and should travel on a valid British or Irish passport or hold proof of right of abode. Check the GOV.UK dual-national guidance before travel if this applies to you.
  • Not a visa, not a guarantee: an ETA confirms advance permission to travel. A Border Force officer still makes the final entry decision on arrival.
  • Not a move, not a working holiday: a visitor ETA does not give work or residence permission. The UK Youth Mobility (working holiday) scheme is a separate visa. Work, study, or living in the UK needs a separate immigration route, with its own advice.

Scouting trip budget, fixed maths

Flights are per person, the room is shared, daily spending is per person. Trip total is for all travellers, in Australian dollars. Per person is trip total divided by travellers, with no extra flight added. All flight and hotel figures below are editable examples, not sourced prices.

ETA total is travellers multiplied by ETA cost in pounds, converted at the exchange rate, and added after the buffer. If your ETA is already valid for this trip, set ETA cost to 0.

Your result

Estimated trip total, all travellers, including ETA

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Per day, all-in-
Per person-
ETA total, all travellers-

Worked example, checked: 7 days, 2 travellers, A$1,800 flights per person, A$260 room per night, A$140 daily per person, 10% buffer, £20 ETA per person at £1 = A$1.90. Base is (2 x A$1,800) + (A$260 x 7) + (2 x A$140 x 7) = A$7,380. With buffer, A$8,118. ETA total is 2 x £20 x 1.90 = A$76. Grand total A$8,194, A$1,171 per day, A$4,097 per person. Flight and hotel figures are examples only. ETA cost is the sourced figure, £20, checked 24 October 2026. Exchange rate is rounded from market summaries checked 24 October 2026 (about A$1.90), editable in the calculator.

From scouting trip to move

A scouting trip answers questions a calculator cannot: which borough feels right, what the commute actually feels like, and whether London in winter, or in summer, is a place you want to live. If the trip goes well, the next step is a move comparison and immigration advice, not a longer visitor stay.

There is no exact Australia-origin move page on this site yet. Back to the prototype homepage for the current move pairs. The London move pages on this site are US-origin pages, not Australia-origin matches, so they are not presented here as a match for this route.

Sources, checked 24 October 2026

  • UK ETA fee £20 from 8 April 2026, validity 2 years or passport expiry, up to 6 months per visit, per-person requirement, and up to 3 working days for decisions, from GOV.UK ETA guidance as used in the US passport to UK template, and from 2026 summaries checked 24 October 2026 confirming Australian passport holders need a UK ETA on the same terms.
  • Airside versus landside transit distinction, and the rule that an ETA does not guarantee entry, from the same GOV.UK-based summaries. Verify the current GOV.UK position before travel, because transit exemptions have been described as temporary and under review.
  • Dual-national warning, from secondary summaries checked 24 October 2026. Verify on GOV.UK before travel if you hold British or Irish citizenship as well as Australian citizenship.
  • Exchange rate: £1 = about A$1.90 on 24 October 2026, from market summaries checked that day (about A$1.9018). Rounded to A$1.90 in this page, editable in the calculator.

Recheck GOV.UK again before this page publishes as a guide, because entry rules change.