Travellers from visa-exempt countries such as the United States, United Kingdom or Australia will soon pay €20 to visit Czechia and 29 other European nations after the European Commission confirmed the final fee for the long-awaited European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). Prague-based daily ‘Prague Morning’ reports that the electronic permit will launch in late 2026, with a grace period before enforcement in 2027.
ETIAS functions much like the U.S. ESTA: applicants complete an online form, answer security questions and pay the €20 charge (credit card or digital wallet). Approvals cover multiple entries of up to 90 days within any 180-day window and last three years—or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever comes first. Children under 18 and adults over 70 are fee-exempt but must still apply.
For travellers and programme managers who would prefer expert help with the new paperwork, VisaHQ’s Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) provides simplified ETIAS instructions, document pre-checks and live application tracking, streamlining the process for both business and leisure visitors.
![€20 ETIAS Fee Confirmed: Non-EU Visitors Will Need Permit for Czech Trips From 2027]()
For Czech hotels, conferences and manufacturing plants that rely on short-term technicians, the system brings both certainty and administration. ETIAS will enable authorities to run advanced security checks before arrival, reducing queues at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport. However, mobility teams must add one more compliance step to pre-trip check-lists and budget the modest fee when allocating travel costs.
Because ETIAS will be required even for brief cross-border hops—for example, executives flying London-Heathrow to Prague for a single meeting—corporate travel portals should integrate the application link and automate reminders. The European Commission promises that 95 % of applications will be auto-approved within minutes; the remainder could take up to 30 days if flagged for manual review.
Although €20 is unlikely to deter leisure tourists, industry groups have urged Brussels to run a global information campaign well ahead of the switch-on date. Failure to obtain authorisation could result in denied boarding by airlines or refusal of entry at Czech land borders, with carriers liable for fines if they transport non-compliant passengers.
ETIAS functions much like the U.S. ESTA: applicants complete an online form, answer security questions and pay the €20 charge (credit card or digital wallet). Approvals cover multiple entries of up to 90 days within any 180-day window and last three years—or until the traveller’s passport expires, whichever comes first. Children under 18 and adults over 70 are fee-exempt but must still apply.
For travellers and programme managers who would prefer expert help with the new paperwork, VisaHQ’s Czech Republic portal (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) provides simplified ETIAS instructions, document pre-checks and live application tracking, streamlining the process for both business and leisure visitors.
For Czech hotels, conferences and manufacturing plants that rely on short-term technicians, the system brings both certainty and administration. ETIAS will enable authorities to run advanced security checks before arrival, reducing queues at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport. However, mobility teams must add one more compliance step to pre-trip check-lists and budget the modest fee when allocating travel costs.
Because ETIAS will be required even for brief cross-border hops—for example, executives flying London-Heathrow to Prague for a single meeting—corporate travel portals should integrate the application link and automate reminders. The European Commission promises that 95 % of applications will be auto-approved within minutes; the remainder could take up to 30 days if flagged for manual review.
Although €20 is unlikely to deter leisure tourists, industry groups have urged Brussels to run a global information campaign well ahead of the switch-on date. Failure to obtain authorisation could result in denied boarding by airlines or refusal of entry at Czech land borders, with carriers liable for fines if they transport non-compliant passengers.
