Europe delays its entry fees. Here’s what you need to know

One post-pandemic travel trend we’ve been noticing is how many more countries are implementing various entry fees. Italy is raising fees on popular tourist attractions while Hawaii is debating enacting “green fees.”

In fact, the European Union (EU) was set to implement a visa fee starting in November 2023. Now, the European Commission is delaying the fee to enter Europe for at least one more year, until 2024.

What is the fee?

There is a new fee called the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, or ETIAS fee, which will cost €7 ($7.46 USD) and will apply to foreign visitors between the ages of 18 and 70 years old. This new fee will be required to enter all of the countries that encompass the Schengen area and will be valid for three years at a time. 

The fee and application might seem complicated, but it’s not that different from the Electronic System for Travel Authorization, or ESTA, that the US requires of foreign visitors. 

A fee is only one part of Europe’s plan to keep better track of traveler information. On top of the fee, 28 European countries are also rolling out a new Entry/Exit System (ESS). This system will replace passport stamps with a digital platform that tracks travelers with biometric data, like face and fingerprint scans. 

Why is it being delayed?

This isn’t the first time the ETIAS fee has been delayed. It was initially supposed to be enacted in 2021 but was postponed until November 2023, and once again until 2024. There’s no clear answer as to why there is a delay, but we’re definitely not complaining. The European Commission only shared, “It is expected that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be operational in 2024.”