The Swiss State Secretariat for Migration confirmed late on 23 November—but published widely on 25 November—that the fee for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will rise from €7 to €20 when the scheme launches in Q4 2026. Switzerland is following an EU-wide decision intended to fund cybersecurity upgrades and deeper integration with Europol databases.
ETIAS is mandatory pre-travel clearance for citizens of more than 60 visa-exempt countries—including the US, UK, Canada, Japan and Singapore—who plan to spend up to 90 days in the Schengen Area. Once approved, an authorisation is valid for three years or until the traveller’s passport expires.
![ETIAS Fee for Swiss-Bound Travellers Jumps to €20 from 1 January 2026]()
While €20 is still modest, high-volume corporate users will feel the pinch. A Basel-based pharma group that files roughly 2,500 applications a year faces an extra €32,500 in annual costs. Travel-management companies warn that the ETIAS Business Portal’s API specifications were released only in mid-November, leaving system integrators just over a year to embed payment flows into online booking tools.
SEM stressed that minors under 18 and adults over 70 remain exempt and that batch payments will be possible. Risk-management advisers, however, note that incorrect disclosure of prior convictions can invalidate corporate travel-insurance cover, urging HR teams to issue clear guidance.
Practical tip: encourage employees whose passports expire in 2026-27 to renew early so they can obtain a full three-year ETIAS on a single €20 payment. The online Swiss ETIAS 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 citizens of more than 60 visa-exempt countries—including the US, UK, Canada, Japan and Singapore—who plan to spend up to 90 days in the Schengen Area. Once approved, an authorisation is valid for three years or until the traveller’s passport expires.
While €20 is still modest, high-volume corporate users will feel the pinch. A Basel-based pharma group that files roughly 2,500 applications a year faces an extra €32,500 in annual costs. Travel-management companies warn that the ETIAS Business Portal’s API specifications were released only in mid-November, leaving system integrators just over a year to embed payment flows into online booking tools.
SEM stressed that minors under 18 and adults over 70 remain exempt and that batch payments will be possible. Risk-management advisers, however, note that incorrect disclosure of prior convictions can invalidate corporate travel-insurance cover, urging HR teams to issue clear guidance.
Practical tip: encourage employees whose passports expire in 2026-27 to renew early so they can obtain a full three-year ETIAS on a single €20 payment. The online Swiss ETIAS portal will display the new price from 00:00 CET on 1 January 2026, with no grace period for partially completed forms.
