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Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
Heading to Italy or France? Get ready to pay a new $35 fee
Australians travelling to Italy, Spain, and France will be slugged with a new fee next year, which appears to be part of a trend making overseas travel more expensive. Australians will need to pay €20 ($35.44) per application to visit the bloc of 30 EU states in the Schengen visa-free travel zone, once the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (or ETIAS) becomes operational for visitors next year. The travel authorisation fee was originally slated to cost €7 ($12.40), but the EU settled on a higher cost. The ETIAS fee will capture most Australian visitors to Europe - and will function a bit like the US ESTA visa waiver, or the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation. 'Travellers will need to fill out an online application before their trip, providing personal information,' the EU said. Loading 'The application will be processed automatically, and the traveller will receive a decision within minutes.' Establishing the fee higher than originally planned for Europe-bound travel will be unwelcome news for Australia's intrepid international travellers. The EU announcement comes days after the US government unveiled a new $US250 ($383) fee on applications for visits to the US by Australians ineligible for the ESTA visa waiver program. The change was contained in US President Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill'.
The Age
a day ago
- Business
- The Age
Heading to Italy or France? Get ready to pay a new $35 fee
Australians travelling to Italy, Spain, and France will be slugged with a new fee next year, which appears to be part of a trend making overseas travel more expensive. Australians will need to pay €20 ($35.44) per application to visit the bloc of 30 EU states in the Schengen visa-free travel zone, once the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (or ETIAS) becomes operational for visitors next year. The travel authorisation fee was originally slated to cost €7 ($12.40), but the EU settled on a higher cost. The ETIAS fee will capture most Australian visitors to Europe - and will function a bit like the US ESTA visa waiver, or the UK Electronic Travel Authorisation. 'Travellers will need to fill out an online application before their trip, providing personal information,' the EU said. Loading 'The application will be processed automatically, and the traveller will receive a decision within minutes.' Establishing the fee higher than originally planned for Europe-bound travel will be unwelcome news for Australia's intrepid international travellers. The EU announcement comes days after the US government unveiled a new $US250 ($383) fee on applications for visits to the US by Australians ineligible for the ESTA visa waiver program. The change was contained in US President Donald Trump's 'big beautiful bill'.
Sydney Morning Herald
a day ago
- Sydney Morning Herald
Cost of new entry fee for Europe triples – before it even begins
The great summer tourist invasion of Europe is in full swing, but travel to the sun and spritz will soon come with a surcharge. And before the fee is even off the runway, Europe's new travel authorisation system is getting a price bump. The European Union announced this month that it plans to nearly triple the cost of its long-delayed European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), raising the fee to €20 ($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. Loading 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 ($A33). Europe's travel and tourism sector has voiced concerns over the proposed increase, even though the fee is not yet being charged.
The Age
a day ago
- The Age
Cost of new entry fee for Europe triples – before it even begins
The great summer tourist invasion of Europe is in full swing, but travel to the sun and spritz will soon come with a surcharge. And before the fee is even off the runway, Europe's new travel authorisation system is getting a price bump. The European Union announced this month that it plans to nearly triple the cost of its long-delayed European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), raising the fee to €20 ($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. Loading 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.
9 News
3 days ago
- 9 News
Perth couple's dream holiday ruined over US immigration debacle
Your web browser is no longer supported. To improve your experience update it here Exclusive: An Australian couple were forced to cancel an expensive cruise and now face the prospect of being banned from the US after a bizarre immigration error. Perth retirees Wayne and Carol Burley, aged in their 70s, were at the start of a cruise holiday around Australia, New Zealand, Tahiti, the US, Canada and Mexico when their ship pulled into Hawaii in April this year. US Immigration officers then boarded the vessel and performed the usual visa checks on passengers. The couple couldn't have imagined the strange reason their dream holiday would be derailed. Wayne and Carol boarded their cruise ship in Sydney and made it to Hawaii before disaster struck, (Supplied) The Burleys had completed their Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTAs) like many times before and assumed they'd be let into the US without a hitch. "They looked at our ESTAs and took our passports and one of them said, 'Come with us'," Wayne told . "We were told to sit down and a senior officer started asking us questions." Wayne said he and Carol's names and passports had been flagged in the system for having breached the conditions of their previous ESTA. "He said, 'You have overstayed in the USA by more than 1000 days'," Wayne said. The couple were astonished. The last time they'd visited the US was nearly nine years ago in 2016. "He said their records showed we never left America," Wayne said, despite the fact the couple boarded the ship in Sydney. Wayne said the immigration officer all but shrugged and admitted that "sometimes our systems don't match up". The apparent administration error meant their ESTAs were promptly cancelled and US Immigration needed the Burleys to apply for a B2 visitor visa. The last time the Burleys had visited the US was nearly nine years ago in 2016. (Supplied) The fees for this were waived and the couple could continue on the first leg of their cruise. But a condition of this visa came with a huge snag – the officer confirmed they could not leave and re-enter the US. "We were told if we tried to do that, we'd be detained," Wayne explained. It meant their next cruise, which was from Los Angeles to Panama, had to be cancelled, leaving them out of pocket by more than $12,000. He said the immigration officer also warned it was unlikely they'd ever be let back into the US again. The Burleys then cancelled their second cruise with Princess Cruises, booked a hotel in Los Angeles once they reached that port and reluctantly headed back home. They were refunded their port fees and lodged a claim with their insurance agent 1Cover. After an initial denial and some back and forth, Wayne said he received a call from 1Cover saying their claim would be honoured. But the avid travellers are now left wondering if they'll be deported – or worse – if they try to holiday in the US again. Wayne said he and his wife are scared of travelling back to America in fear of being treated like a criminal. Wayne and Carol's enjoyed a cruise around Australia and New Zealand before the ship arrived in the US. (Supplied) Melbourne-based immigration lawyer Sherwin Noorian told this issue sometimes impacts non-US citizens attempting to enter the US after a previous trip. "The US does not have outbound passport control like Australia does for international departures," Noorian said. "At the airport, there are no gates where one must scan their passport before travelling abroad the way Australian airports do." "Customs and Border Protection relies on various data sources such as flight manifests to record departures from the US. "At times, they fail to record departures for foreign nationals and this may result in an 'overstay' being recorded for the traveller that is not accurate." For now, Wayne and Carol are trying to solve their potential travel ban by requesting a record of their travel in and out of Australia from the Department of Home Affairs, but they have not yet heard back. has contacted the US Customs and Border Protection for comment. Exclusive immigration USA Travel cruise Australia Perth Western Australia Hawaii CONTACT US
