How the EU’s Proposed ETIAS Fee Rose to €20 as Its Launch Date Remains Unsettled

The European Union’s planned European Travel Information and Authorisation System, known as ETIAS, would require travellers to obtain an authorisation linked to their passport before short stays in the Schengen Area. Reporting on the proposal shows the fee rising from €7 to €20, while the date the system starts remains unsettled across sources.

ETIAS relies on the Entry/Exit System for its technical basis. According to eucrim, that system became fully operational at all external Schengen borders on 10 April 2026. The sections below cover the Entry/Exit System, the fee, the exemptions and validity period, the conflicting launch timetables and the comparison with the UK’s system.

The Entry/Exit System Comes First

According to eucrim, the Entry/Exit System has been fully operational at all external Schengen borders since 10 April 2026, after a phased rollout that began in October 2025. The system digitally logs entries and exits of short-stay non-EU nationals, together with facial images, fingerprints and travel document data. Manual passport stamping is no longer required.

The same article describes the system’s purpose as strengthening external border control, detecting overstays systematically and combating document and identity fraud. It names the EU agency eu-LISA as the operator of the system and describes the Entry/Exit System as the technical basis for ETIAS. eucrim also cites a Romanian case in which a person attempting to travel under two identities was detected after repeated earlier refusals.

eucrim also cites a Commission press release dated 30 March 2026. That release reported more than 45 million border crossings recorded since launch and more than 24,000 people refused entry for different reasons.

Entry/Exit System Status
According to eucrim, the Entry/Exit System has been fully operational at all external Schengen borders since 10 April 2026, and it is the technical basis for ETIAS.

The Proposed Fee Rises From €7 to €20

Euronews reported in March 2025 that the original ETIAS fee was €7. It said the EU had proposed raising the fee to €20 per application, almost triple the original amount.

The Commission attributed the increase to inflation and to added operational costs. According to Euronews, those operational costs include technical features in the system. The Commission also said the change would bring the fee into line with the UK’s electronic travel authorisation, known as the ETA, and with the US ESTA.

InsideFlyer’s July report also gives the fee as €20, up from the initial €7. eucrim’s article on the Entry/Exit System does not mention the fee.

Who Needs an Authorisation, Who Is Exempt and How Long It Lasts

Euronews says the authorisation would apply to travellers from 60 non-EU countries who do not need a visa, including the UK, Australia, the US and Canada. It covers 30 European countries: all EU states except Ireland, plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland.

Applicants who are under 18 or over 70 at the time of application are exempt from the fee, according to Euronews, but they still must apply. The Commission also says family members of EU citizens, and family members of non-EU nationals who have free-movement rights in the EU, are exempt from the fee.

Under the proposal Euronews describes, applicants complete an online application, give personal details, answer security questions and pay a fee. Euronews says an approved authorisation lasts three years, or until the passport it is linked to expires. The authorisation is tied to the traveller’s passport, as the article describes it.

Launch Timing Differs Across Reports

Euronews, in its March 2025 report, said ETIAS would start operating in the final quarter of 2026, with a specific launch date announced a few months earlier. It said the system would then remain voluntary for six more months, so fees might not apply until well into 2027. Euronews attributes the timing to an official statement. The article also said ETIAS was first slated for November 2024 but has been much delayed. It attributed the delays to complications with installing the new technology required for the Entry/Exit System, with dozens of member states not ready for the planned launch.

eucrim, writing about the Entry/Exit System’s full operation, says ETIAS is scheduled to go live at the end of 2026.

InsideFlyer’s July report says the EU has delayed ETIAS from late 2026 to 2027 and that the system now lacks a firm launch date. It cites problems with the biometric rollout of the Entry/Exit System as a contributing factor to the delay, and says those rollout problems caused long queues and missed flights at major airports. It also reports that eu-LISA, the agency managing ETIAS, has confirmed a 2027 target, citing unresolved technical challenges.

The reports differ on the central question. Euronews, from March 2025, and eucrim point to a late-2026 start. InsideFlyer’s later July report points to 2027.

The proposed fee rises from €7 to €20, but the date the system starts remains unsettled across sources.

How the Fee Compares With the UK ETA

InsideFlyer notes that the UK’s ETA costs £20 and covers two years of validity. Euronews gives the ETIAS validity as three years.

Euronews reports the Commission’s stated aim of aligning the ETIAS fee with both the UK ETA and the US ESTA. The comparison is part of that stated aim, as Euronews describes it.

InsideFlyer describes ETIAS as an online pre-authorisation rather than a visa. It says the UK already runs a similar system, the ETA.

What Remains Unconfirmed

InsideFlyer’s July report said ETIAS then lacked a firm launch date. Euronews said a specific date would be announced a few months before launch, and InsideFlyer’s July report said the 2027 window was undefined.

In March 2025, Euronews also said fees may not apply until well into 2027, because the system would stay voluntary for six months after launch.

The €20 fee is reported by Euronews and InsideFlyer. The launch date is reported differently across the sources.