UK and Scottish media headlines on 26 December focused on a raft of 2026 policy changes, but the one that matters most to Swiss inbound mobility is the confirmation that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will charge UK nationals €20 (about £17) per traveller. Because Switzerland is a full Schengen member, ETIAS clearance will be mandatory for Britons entering Zurich, Geneva or Basel once the system goes live in late 2026.
For Swiss companies that rely on short-term UK experts—think pharma auditors from Cambridge or fintech consultants from London—the new fee adds bureaucracy and cost. Although ETIAS is valid for three years, HR teams must ensure that contractors apply online at least 96 hours before departure and travel with the same passport used for the application. Failure to do so could see staff denied boarding in Heathrow or Edinburgh and critical projects delayed.
One way to ease this new layer of compliance is to outsource it altogether. VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets HR teams upload traveller details in bulk, run automatic passport validity checks and submit ETIAS applications in minutes, with status updates pushed straight to mobility dashboards—saving time and avoiding last-minute boarding refusals.
![ETIAS £17 Fee Confirmed: What the New EU/Swiss Travel Authorisation Means for UK-Swiss Business Links]()
Travel-management companies estimate that a medium-sized Swiss multinational flying 400 UK staff trips a year will incur roughly CHF 7,500 in fees, plus administrative overhead. That pales next to airfare but will need coding in cost centres and may influence contract negotiations where Swiss clients pick up travel expenses.
Swiss tourism boards have mixed views: some fear the fee will deter city-break visitors, while ski resorts argue that a one-off charge amortised over multiple trips is unlikely to dissuade high-spending British skiers. What is certain is that border agents at Geneva will rely on the same ETIAS data to conduct risk-based screening, potentially speeding entry for compliant travellers but lengthening queues for those who forget to apply.
Practical steps for mobility managers include updating travel policies, adding ETIAS reminders to automated pre-trip emails, and checking that travel-security providers capture ETIAS status in their traveller-tracking dashboards. Companies may also pre-pay the fee to avoid reimbursement claims—an approach already piloted by two Swiss med-tech giants.
For Swiss companies that rely on short-term UK experts—think pharma auditors from Cambridge or fintech consultants from London—the new fee adds bureaucracy and cost. Although ETIAS is valid for three years, HR teams must ensure that contractors apply online at least 96 hours before departure and travel with the same passport used for the application. Failure to do so could see staff denied boarding in Heathrow or Edinburgh and critical projects delayed.
One way to ease this new layer of compliance is to outsource it altogether. VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal (https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/) lets HR teams upload traveller details in bulk, run automatic passport validity checks and submit ETIAS applications in minutes, with status updates pushed straight to mobility dashboards—saving time and avoiding last-minute boarding refusals.
Travel-management companies estimate that a medium-sized Swiss multinational flying 400 UK staff trips a year will incur roughly CHF 7,500 in fees, plus administrative overhead. That pales next to airfare but will need coding in cost centres and may influence contract negotiations where Swiss clients pick up travel expenses.
Swiss tourism boards have mixed views: some fear the fee will deter city-break visitors, while ski resorts argue that a one-off charge amortised over multiple trips is unlikely to dissuade high-spending British skiers. What is certain is that border agents at Geneva will rely on the same ETIAS data to conduct risk-based screening, potentially speeding entry for compliant travellers but lengthening queues for those who forget to apply.
Practical steps for mobility managers include updating travel policies, adding ETIAS reminders to automated pre-trip emails, and checking that travel-security providers capture ETIAS status in their traveller-tracking dashboards. Companies may also pre-pay the fee to avoid reimbursement claims—an approach already piloted by two Swiss med-tech giants.
