ETIAS Fee Confirmed at €20, Not the €7 Originally Proposed

There has been understandable confusion about how much the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will actually cost. For a long time the figure quoted was €7, the amount set out when the scheme was first designed. That number is now out of date: ETIAS will cost €20 when it is introduced for British travellers in 2026.

The clarification matters because the fee has appeared inconsistently across news reports, and travellers planning trips for 2026 deserve an accurate figure to budget against.

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From €7 to €20

When ETIAS was first proposed, the authorisation fee was pencilled in at €7. As the launch approached, the European Commission revised that figure upwards to €20. Reporting that still references the older €7 price is simply citing the original proposal rather than the confirmed amount, which is the source of much of the muddle.

For travellers, the practical point is straightforward: plan for €20 per adult application, not €7.

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What the fee buys

ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors, broadly similar to the United States' ESTA. It is not a visa, but it must be obtained online before departure. Once granted, the authorisation allows multiple short stays over its period of validity, so the €20 is a one-off charge rather than a payment for every trip.

If you want to understand the steps involved and confirm the current fee before you travel, see our guide to the ETIAS application. Knowing the right number now avoids surprises when the requirement takes effect in 2026.