A broad coalition from Europe’s tourism and travel sector is challenging the European Commission’s proposal to raise the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20. The group says the increase is disproportionate and calls for a transparent impact assessment before any decision is finalised.
In early 2023, Spain's tourism industry raised concerns that the planned ETIAS fee could discourage visitors from one of its most important source markets. The warning was aimed not at a system already in force, but at a proposed travel authorisation still expected to arrive later.
The EU plans to require ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-free visitors such as UK nationals before entering most of the Schengen area. Travellers should understand the fee, validity period, and the uncertain enforcement window alongside the separate EES rollout.
The update moved the debate from theory to timetable: some travellers would encounter EES from 12 October 2025, while the full border rollout would continue into April 2026. It also pointed to a later ETIAS launch with a higher fee than previously planned.
A broad coalition from Europe’s tourism and travel sector is challenging the European Commission’s proposal to raise the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20. The group says the increase is disproportionate and calls for a transparent impact assessment before any decision is finalised.
The EU plans to require ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-free visitors such as UK nationals before entering most of the Schengen area. Travellers should understand the fee, validity period, and the uncertain enforcement window alongside the separate EES rollout.
The EU's ETIAS system has been pushed back again and is now expected to begin in the last quarter of 2026. For visa-exempt travellers, that means more time before the new pre-travel authorisation becomes part of entering the Schengen Area.
European travel organisations are urging EU policymakers to rethink the planned ETIAS fee increase from €7 to €20, arguing that the move would add cost pressure for travellers without a sufficiently clear justification.