.svg)
.jpg)
What Is the Heathrow Drop-Off Charge?
A £7 charge applies every time a vehicle enters a terminal drop-off area at Heathrow. It covers Terminal 2, Terminal 3, Terminal 4 and Terminal 5, and it runs 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. The charge rose from £6 to £7 on 01/01/2026.
There is no barrier and no way to pay on site. Cameras read your number plate automatically as you enter the forecourt, and the charge is matched to your registration. Payment happens online, by phone, or automatically through AutoPay if you have registered.
Two things changed at the start of 2026, and the second one catches people out far more often than the price rise. Alongside the increase to £7, Heathrow introduced a maximum stay limit in the drop-off zones.
The 10-Minute Maximum Stay
Since 01/01/2026 there has been a 10-minute maximum stay in Heathrow's terminal drop-off areas. If your vehicle is on the forecourt for longer than 10 minutes, you will be issued an £80 Parking Charge Notice, reduced to £40 if you pay within 14 days. That is separate from and on top of the £7 drop-off charge itself.
Ten minutes is enough to pull in, unload luggage and say goodbye, but it is not enough to wait for a delayed passenger or help someone check in. If the person you are dropping off is not ready to be left at the kerb, the forecourt is the wrong place to wait.
Blue Badge holders who have registered their trip in advance are not held to the 10-minute limit, so if you need longer for accessibility reasons, register first and the time restriction does not apply to you.
How to Pay the Heathrow Drop-Off Charge
AutoPay
If you use Heathrow regularly, AutoPay is the option worth setting up. You register your number plate and payment details once through the Heathrow drop-off website, and every subsequent visit is charged automatically without you doing anything.
It removes the single biggest cause of penalty notices, which is simply forgetting. Private hire and PCO drivers benefit most, but it is worth it for anyone doing regular airport runs.
Paying online after your trip
If you would rather not register in advance, you can pay after the visit. Go to the Heathrow drop-off website, enter your registration, and pay before midnight on the day after your trip.
That deadline is generous, which is exactly why people miss it. The trip gets forgotten in the run of the week and the first reminder is a penalty notice through the post. Paying the same day is the safest habit.
By telephone
You can also pay by phone on 0330 008 5600, which is the automated payment line. For anything you need to speak to a person about, Heathrow's drop-off customer services number is 0333 200 7459. Have your vehicle registration and payment card ready, and the same midnight deadline the following day applies.
What Happens If You Do Not Pay?
If the charge is not paid by midnight on the day after your visit, you will receive a Parking Charge Notice by post. The standard amount is £80, reduced to £40 if you pay within 14 days.
Enforcement is automatic. Cameras capture every vehicle entering the forecourt, so there is no realistic prospect of a visit going unnoticed. The same applies to overstaying the 10-minute limit.
If you believe a notice was issued incorrectly, you can appeal a penalty charge notice. Reasonable grounds include having paid the charge without it registering, holding a valid Blue Badge exemption for that trip, or your vehicle never having entered a charging zone. Include supporting evidence such as payment confirmations or screenshots.
Free Drop-Off Alternatives at Heathrow
Free drop-off is available at Heathrow's Park and Ride car parks, which connect to the terminals by a free bus transfer. You park, take the bus in with your passenger if you want to, and avoid the forecourt charge entirely.
The trade-off is time. It adds a transfer at both ends, so it suits journeys where you are not in a hurry rather than a quick kerbside handover. Check the signage and any stated free period when you arrive, because standard parking charges apply once you go beyond it.
If you are travelling from a different airport, our guides to the Gatwick drop-off charge and Stansted drop-off fees cover the same ground for those terminals.
Blue Badge Holders and Exemptions
Blue Badge holders can claim a 100 per cent discount on the drop-off charge. It applies to the vehicle doing the dropping off, so it works whether you are driving yourself, being brought by a friend, or arriving in a taxi.
You need a valid UK or European Economic Area Blue Badge, and you must register the trip rather than simply turning up. Applications should be made at least seven days in advance, though you can also register by midnight on the day after your drop-off. Register through the Heathrow Blue Badge portal with your badge number, vehicle registration and travel date.
If you are not sure whether you qualify for a badge, the government's guidance on Blue Badge eligibility sets out the criteria. Registered Blue Badge holders are also exempt from the 10-minute maximum stay.
Why Has the Charge Gone Up?
Heathrow raised the charge from £6 to £7 and introduced the maximum stay at the same time, and the reasoning behind both is the same. The forecourts are among the most congested parts of the airport, and every vehicle that lingers reduces the space available for the next one.
The wider aim is to shift journeys away from private cars towards public transport and shared travel, in line with the airport's emissions targets, while the revenue offsets the cost of maintaining and policing the forecourt areas. Gatwick, Stansted, Luton, Birmingham and Manchester all now operate similar schemes, so the direction of travel across UK airports is consistent.
Conclusion
The Heathrow drop-off charge is £7 per visit across Terminals 2 to 5, payable by midnight on the day after your trip, with a 10-minute maximum stay on the forecourt since 01/01/2026. Overstay or forget to pay and it is an £80 penalty, halved to £40 if settled within 14 days.
If you use Heathrow often, set up AutoPay and stop thinking about it. If you have a Blue Badge, register the trip in advance and you pay nothing and get more time. And if you are not in a rush, the Park and Ride car parks with their free bus transfer avoid the charge altogether.
