Cost of new entry fee for Europe triples – before it even begins
The European Union announced this month that it plans to nearly triple the cost of its long-delayed European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), raising the fee to €20 ($A35.50) from €7 ($A12.40)
The increase in the fee, which will be charged to visa-free travellers, including Australians, has been adopted more than a year before the system is set to begin, in late 2026.
The ETIAS was approved in 2018 as Europe's answer to travel preclearance systems like the ESTA in the United States, which is mandatory for visitors from more than 40 countries listed in the US Visa Waiver Program.
Many border control policies are managed jointly in Europe by countries in the Schengen visa-free travel zone.
The ETIAS has faced multiple postponements, partly because of delays in the rollout of the Schengen Area's biometric Entry‑Exit System but also because of budget and legal hurdles, as well as pandemic-related disruptions.
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In a statement last week explaining the fee increase, the EU executive branch, the European Commission, cited inflation and rising operational costs, including the addition of new technical features. Officials also noted that the higher fee would make the ETIAS comparable to similar systems elsewhere: the US ESTA costs $US21 ($A32), while the UK's ETA costs £16 ($A33).
Europe's travel and tourism sector has voiced concerns over the proposed increase, even though the fee is not yet being charged.
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