UK carriers: a 0A board message only counts for the passport it was issued against

On 26 October 2026 the Home Office updated "Charging procedures: a guide for carriers", the document that explains when an airline pays a £2,000 charge for bringing a passenger to the UK without the right permission. The change is short. It matters for every passenger who holds more than one passport or has recently renewed one.

Until now the guide said that receiving a 0A (board) message was satisfactory evidence of permission to travel. The new version is narrower. A 0A response from the Home Office's interactive check may be accepted as evidence only if the passenger travels on the document the 0A was generated against. The same wording now appears in the guide's visa, eVisa and ETA sections.

What changed

Point What the guide says

Document Home Office, "Charging procedures: a guide for carriers", updated 26 October 2026

Old wording (version of 22 October) "The receipt of a 0A (board) message is satisfactory evidence of their permission to travel to the UK."

New wording "A 0A (board) response may be accepted as satisfactory evidence of a passenger's permission to travel to the UK, provided that the document used for travel is the document against which the 0A response was generated."

Where Section 2.2 (when a Section 40 charge will be raised, for passengers who need a visa), section 2.3 (visa checks, eVisas) and the ETA checks part of section 2.4

Also changed Section 5.2, on what representations against a charge should include, no longer mentions a 0A message at all. The old example "evidence of receipt of a 0A message from the HO" was removed

What it means A 0A linked to one passport does not cover a passenger who travels on another passport

Charge £2,000 per passenger who arrives without the required permission (section 1.3)

Unchanged The Transit without Visa scheme (section 2.5) and the Direct Airside Transit without Visa scheme (section 2.6). The ETA costs £20 (gov.uk)

Why passports and permissions get out of step

Both UK digital permissions are tied to a specific passport:

ETA. gov.uk says the ETA is linked to the passport you applied with, and lasts 2 years or until your passport expires, whichever is sooner. gov.uk does not describe moving an ETA to another passport, so a traveller with a new passport should plan on a new ETA (our reading).

eVisa. Holders must travel with the passport added to their UKVI account. Dual nationals should add the passport they will travel on, and can add more than one.

The common problem cases are dual nationals who applied on one passport and fly on the other, travellers with a renewed passport who never updated their ETA or UKVI account, and bookings where the passport number in the API data does not match the passport shown at the gate.

What travel sellers should do

Airlines and ground handlers

Make sure the passport data sent to the Home Office is the passport the passenger actually shows at check-in. If the passenger presents a different passport, run the check again on that document before boarding.

Do not treat a 0A tied to an older or different passport as permission to travel. Check against the document in hand.

Brief check-in staff and update ground handling instructions. Section 5.2, on contesting a charge, used to give "evidence of receipt of a 0A message from the HO" as an example. That example has been removed, and the section no longer mentions a 0A message. Keep your own records of the document you checked.

OTAs and TMCs

Ask UK-bound travellers which passport they will travel on, and use that passport for the booking, the API data and the ETA.

Remind dual nationals that their ETA or eVisa must be linked to the passport they will fly on. eVisa holders can add the passport in their UKVI account before departure.

Tell customers who renewed their passport that their ETA is linked to the old one. Plan on a new ETA, which costs £20.

Keep passenger names and passport numbers identical across the booking, the ticket and the permission. Mismatches cause the same kind of boarding failure.

How SimpleVisa handles it

Collect the travel passport early and use it everywhere: in the booking, in the passenger data sent to the airline and in the ETA or eVisa check. For dual nationals and anyone who renewed a passport recently, check that the UK permission is linked to the passport they will carry, and flag the case before check-in rather than at the gate.

FAQ

What is a 0A response? It is the "board" message an airline receives from the Home Office's interactive check when the passenger data shows valid permission to travel to the UK, such as an ETA or an eVisa.

What did the Home Office change on 26 October 2026? The carrier guide now says a 0A response is satisfactory evidence of permission to travel only if the passenger travels on the document the 0A was generated against. It also removed "evidence of receipt of a 0A message from the HO" from the examples in section 5.2 of what a carrier can put forward when contesting a charge.

My customer has two passports. Which one should they use? The one linked to their ETA or eVisa. eVisa holders can add more than one passport to their UKVI account. An ETA is linked to the passport used to apply.

Does an ETA move to a new passport? gov.uk says an ETA is linked to the passport you applied with and lasts 2 years or until that passport expires, whichever is sooner. It does not describe a transfer, so a traveller with a new passport should plan on a new ETA, which costs £20.

What does the airline risk? A charge of £2,000 per passenger who arrives without the required permission.

Operational guidance for travel sellers, not legal advice. Updated 27 October 2026.

Sources

Home Office, "Charging procedures: a guide for carriers" (updated 26 October 2026) verified 27 Oct 2026 · Home Office, "Document checks and charges for carriers", change history entry of 26 October 2026 verified 27 Oct 2026 · GOV.UK, "Get an electronic travel authorisation (ETA)", overview (£20) verified 27 Oct 2026 · GOV.UK, "Apply for an ETA" (linked to the passport you applied with; lasts 2 years or until the passport expires) verified 27 Oct 2026 · GOV.UK, "Get access to your eVisa: travel with your eVisa" verified 27 Oct 2026

Loris Mazloum

Founder, SimpleVisa

Loris Mazloum founded SimpleVisa and writes the coverage notes on this blog for airlines, OTAs, and other travel companies. Each note is checked against the government source named at the bottom before it publishes. SimpleVisa keeps requirement data for 190+ destinations and files applications where a government channel exists.