The European Commission has proposed nearly tripling the fee paid by short-stay, visa-exempt visitors to the EU, from €7 to €20. The change is designed to boost the bloc's budget and could raise an estimated €300 million a year.
On 18 July 2025 the European Union adopted its 18th package of sanctions against Russia after Slovakia dropped its opposition. On the same busy day in Brussels, the Commission proposed tripling the planned ETIAS travel-authorisation fee to €20.
The European Union formally adopted its 18th package of sanctions against Russia on 18 July 2025, after Slovakia dropped its objections in return for gas-supply guarantees. On the very same day, the Commission proposed almost tripling the ETIAS travel-authorisation fee to €20.
British visitors will not need an ETIAS travel permit for the EU and wider Schengen Area until April 2027 at the earliest. The delay follows a decision to roll out the Entry/Exit System gradually from October 2025 rather than all at once.
Meeting in Luxembourg on 10 October 2024, EU home affairs ministers examined how the Entry/Exit System would be rolled out in phases, when ETIAS would follow, and how to reinforce the resilience of the Schengen area's external borders.
Ryanair and other travel-industry voices have warned that the EU's plan to launch its Entry/Exit System at every frontier on a single day is risky and untested. Brussels insists there will be no soft launch when the biometric border system arrives in autumn 2024.
Holding an approved ETIAS is only part of the picture. To actually cross the external border, visa-free travellers must still meet a set of entry conditions that border guards verify on arrival. Here is what those checks involve.