The European Union’s long-awaited European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) took a decisive step forward on 4 February when officials confirmed the application fee will be €20—€5 higher than earlier drafts and payable by travellers aged 18-70 from 59 visa-exempt countries, including the United Kingdom, United States and Australia.
Although ETIAS is often described as a ‘visa waiver’, it functions more like the United States’ ESTA: applicants file an online form, upload passport data and answer security questions; most approvals are issued within minutes and remain valid for three years or until the passport expires. Crucially for corporate mobility teams, the authorisation will be required for each short-stay trip of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across all 29 Schengen members plus Cyprus—meaning that executives flying to a board meeting in Zurich or pharma scientists attending a congress in Basel will need a valid ETIAS linked to their passport before boarding.
The pricing decision matters for Swiss-based companies that regularly host large numbers of non-EU visitors. Human-resources and travel-management teams should update invitation letters, budgeting templates and pre-arrival checklists to reflect the new cost, particularly for high-frequency travellers whose ETIAS may need renewing mid-assignment. Employers should also watch for the rollout timetable: Brussels now says the system will launch ‘in late 2026’—after the EES is fully operational—followed by a transitional phase during which ETIAS will be strongly encouraged but not legally required.
![ETIAS fee set at €20 as EU finalises travel-authorisation rules—cost will apply when entering Switzerland]()
For organisations and travellers looking for practical support, VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal can streamline the entire ETIAS preparation process—from automated passport validation to real-time status tracking and group submissions—saving both time and administrative effort. Full details of these services are available at https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/
Swiss tourism bodies broadly welcomed the clarity on pricing but urged the EU to mount a global information campaign to minimise last-minute surprises. Hoteliers in the alpine canton of Graubünden told local media that winter tourists from the US repeatedly confuse ETIAS and EES, assuming one enrolment covers both systems. Industry associations are calling for integrated, multilingual portals and a single-payment option to reduce friction.
From a compliance standpoint, Swiss border guards will verify ETIAS status automatically when a traveller’s passport is scanned in the EES kiosk. Carriers that transport passengers without valid authorisation risk fines, so airlines operating into Zurich and Geneva are expected to build an ETIAS check into online and airport check-in flows, mirroring US ESTA procedures.
Although ETIAS is often described as a ‘visa waiver’, it functions more like the United States’ ESTA: applicants file an online form, upload passport data and answer security questions; most approvals are issued within minutes and remain valid for three years or until the passport expires. Crucially for corporate mobility teams, the authorisation will be required for each short-stay trip of up to 90 days in any 180-day period across all 29 Schengen members plus Cyprus—meaning that executives flying to a board meeting in Zurich or pharma scientists attending a congress in Basel will need a valid ETIAS linked to their passport before boarding.
The pricing decision matters for Swiss-based companies that regularly host large numbers of non-EU visitors. Human-resources and travel-management teams should update invitation letters, budgeting templates and pre-arrival checklists to reflect the new cost, particularly for high-frequency travellers whose ETIAS may need renewing mid-assignment. Employers should also watch for the rollout timetable: Brussels now says the system will launch ‘in late 2026’—after the EES is fully operational—followed by a transitional phase during which ETIAS will be strongly encouraged but not legally required.
For organisations and travellers looking for practical support, VisaHQ’s Switzerland portal can streamline the entire ETIAS preparation process—from automated passport validation to real-time status tracking and group submissions—saving both time and administrative effort. Full details of these services are available at https://www.visahq.com/switzerland/
Swiss tourism bodies broadly welcomed the clarity on pricing but urged the EU to mount a global information campaign to minimise last-minute surprises. Hoteliers in the alpine canton of Graubünden told local media that winter tourists from the US repeatedly confuse ETIAS and EES, assuming one enrolment covers both systems. Industry associations are calling for integrated, multilingual portals and a single-payment option to reduce friction.
From a compliance standpoint, Swiss border guards will verify ETIAS status automatically when a traveller’s passport is scanned in the EES kiosk. Carriers that transport passengers without valid authorisation risk fines, so airlines operating into Zurich and Geneva are expected to build an ETIAS check into online and airport check-in flows, mirroring US ESTA procedures.
