"Increased Fees Criticized: European Tourism Leaders Voice Discontent Over ETIAS Fee Increase"
The European Commission has proposed a significant increase in the fee for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), raising concerns within the travel and tourism sector. The proposed fee of €20 is a hike from the current €7, citing higher inflation since 2018, increased operational costs, and alignment with similar travel authorisation programs.
However, the European travel and tourism sector strongly criticizes this increase as disproportionate, poorly justified, and lacking transparency about whether intermediate fee levels (e.g., €10 or €12) were considered. The original €7 fee was agreed upon in 2018 as a modest and reasonable cost, and the sudden near tripling raises concerns about fairness.
Industry bodies argue that the fee decision should be evidence-based, closely tied to the EU's actual operational needs, and not driven mainly by attempts to match fees charged by unrelated systems like the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or the US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA).
The travel and tourism groups have called on the European Parliament and European Council to reject the proposed fee hike. They contend that fee decisions should reflect the actual operational needs of the EU system and be fully justified. The groups have also called for an impact assessment to justify the costs and adopt a more proportionate, evidence-based fee.
A comparison of the fees for different travel authorisation programs is as follows:
| Program | Fee (per application) | Justification | Notes | |--------------------------------|----------------------|--------------------------------------------|--------------------------------------------------| | ETIAS (EU) | Proposed €20 | Inflation, operational costs, tech upgrades, alignment with UK/US fees | Original fee was €7; proposed hike controversial | | UK Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) | ~€18 | UK-approved fee reflecting its system costs | Referenced as similar cost by EU Commission | | US Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) | ~€18 | US-approved fee reflecting system costs | Also cited for fee alignment by EU |
The ETIAS system is expected to begin operation in the last quarter of 2026. The EU Entry/Exit System (EES) is set to begin its phased roll out on October 12th 2025, after several delays. Any surplus revenue collected through ETIAS, after covering its official costs, should be assigned to a specific budget line or ideally earmarked for the travel and tourism sector within the EU budget.
The debate continues as EU institutions review the proposal. The system is intended to require visa-exempt non-EU travellers to obtain an online authorisation and pay a fee before entering the 29-country EU/Schengen area. The groups have also asked for a detailed cost breakdown for the ETIAS fee and have expressed deep concern about the proposed fee hike.
- The proposed ETIAS fee increase from €7 to €20 has been met with criticism from the travel and tourism sector, who argue that it lacks transparency and is disproportionate.
- Industry bodies have contended that the ETIAS fee decision should be evidence-based, reflect the EU's operational needs, and not merely aim to match fees charged by unrelated systems like the UK ETA or US ESTA.
- The travel and tourism groups have called on the European Parliament and European Council to reject the proposed fee hike, requesting an impact assessment to justify the costs and advocate for a more proportionate, evidence-based fee.
