EU looks to increase Etias travel authorisation fee from €7 to €20
Second-home owners and other visitors from the UK and US will need this from autumn 2026
Non-EU visitors with a visa waiver will need Etias approval
Hayk Shalunts/Shutterstock
The EU is proposing to almost triple the original planned cost of its forthcoming Etias online travel authorisation to €20 from an original €7.
Etias is expected to start six months after full implementation of the new EES digital borders system. The latter is likely to be ‘phased in’ from October 2025, and to be fully in place in April 2026 – meaning October 2026 is the expected start date for Etias.
The increase in price has been explained as being due to inflation and rising costs since the fee was originally set in 2018, including new operational costs due to additional ‘technical features’ that have been integrated.
It has also been set bearing in mind the current fees for similar schemes.
These include the US ‘Esta’ ($21/€18), or the UK’s ‘ETA’ (originally £10/€12, when launched for travellers from the Middle East in 2023 but £16/€19 since April 2025 when it became required for all non-UK travellers).
The ETA authorisation, once obtained, will last three years (or until a linked passport expires, whichever is the earlier), as compared to two years for the two other schemes. It will provide access to 30 countries (the Schengen area, minus Ireland).
These different authorisation schemes all relate to visits by nationals who do not need a full visa to enter the country/area in question, so, for example, French nationals going on holiday in the UK now need an ETA.
In future all non-EU/non-EEA/non-Swiss national visitors will need a valid Etias to visit the Schengen area (other than Ireland) unless they are nationals of countries requiring a visa even to visit the area, in which case the visa replaces Etias. Foreign people who live in the Schengen area will also be exempt.
Britons, Americans and nationals of the other main anglophone countries (other than Ireland) will have to undertake the formality for temporary visits, which will consist of obtaining an online permission to enter Schengen, plus the fee.
Once obtained, the authorisation will automatically be linked to the person’s passport.
A rise in the fee was expected, as the European Commission previously confirmed to The Connexion the original €7 was under review.
A spokesman said: “Everything has increased, inflation plays a big role, but additional features have been added so it is more expensive. It was also important to say ‘look, how much are the others asking for?’, and make it similar.”
The new fee has been proposed by the commission but is not yet set in stone.
There is first a two-month period in which the European Parliament and Council could contest it if they disagree with it (extendable by a further two months on request), however they do not have to vote on it.
Applicants under 18 or over 70 at the time of application are exempt from the fee.
The application requirements will include the traveller’s name, date of birth and passport details, and upcoming travel plans.
