The Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM) confirmed late on 23 November that Switzerland will follow the rest of the Schengen Area in raising the application fee for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) from €7 to €20 as of 1 January 2026. The decision, endorsed in Brussels last week, ends months of speculation about how the EU will fund post-launch cybersecurity upgrades and the system’s connection to Europol and the Schengen Information System.
ETIAS is mandatory pre-travel clearance for nationals of more than 60 visa-exempt countries—including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Singapore—who enter the Schengen zone for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Once issued, an authorisation is valid for three years or until the traveller’s passport expires. While the fee jump represents only €13 per trip, mobility managers who handle high volumes of short business visits say the cumulative cost could be significant: a pharmaceutical group in Basel that files 2,500 ETIAS applications a year will see its annual outlay leap from €17,500 to €50,000.
![ETIAS Fee for Switzerland to Rise to €20, Tripling Cost for Visa-Exempt Business Travellers]()
SEM notes that minors under 18 and adults over 70 remain exempt, and that companies can batch-pay multiple applications via the upcoming ETIAS Business Portal. However, travel-management companies warn that the rollout timeline is tight. The portal’s API specifications were only published in mid-November, leaving system integrators barely a year to embed ETIAS payment flows into corporate booking tools.
Insurance brokers are also watching closely. Because ETIAS asks applicants to declare prior criminal convictions and travel bans, insurers fear that incorrect disclosures could void corporate travel-risk policies. Legal advisers recommend that HR teams prepare template guidance and, where necessary, obtain written confirmation that the employee has answered truthfully.
For now, multinational employers are urging travellers whose passports expire in 2026–27 to renew early so they can enjoy a full three-year ETIAS validity period on a single €20 fee. SEM says the online application portal will display the new price from 00:00 CET on 1 January 2026, with no grace period for partially completed forms.
ETIAS is mandatory pre-travel clearance for nationals of more than 60 visa-exempt countries—including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan and Singapore—who enter the Schengen zone for stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Once issued, an authorisation is valid for three years or until the traveller’s passport expires. While the fee jump represents only €13 per trip, mobility managers who handle high volumes of short business visits say the cumulative cost could be significant: a pharmaceutical group in Basel that files 2,500 ETIAS applications a year will see its annual outlay leap from €17,500 to €50,000.
SEM notes that minors under 18 and adults over 70 remain exempt, and that companies can batch-pay multiple applications via the upcoming ETIAS Business Portal. However, travel-management companies warn that the rollout timeline is tight. The portal’s API specifications were only published in mid-November, leaving system integrators barely a year to embed ETIAS payment flows into corporate booking tools.
Insurance brokers are also watching closely. Because ETIAS asks applicants to declare prior criminal convictions and travel bans, insurers fear that incorrect disclosures could void corporate travel-risk policies. Legal advisers recommend that HR teams prepare template guidance and, where necessary, obtain written confirmation that the employee has answered truthfully.
For now, multinational employers are urging travellers whose passports expire in 2026–27 to renew early so they can enjoy a full three-year ETIAS validity period on a single €20 fee. SEM says the online application portal will display the new price from 00:00 CET on 1 January 2026, with no grace period for partially completed forms.
