Business and leisure travellers planning to enter the Czech Republic from visa-exempt countries such as the United Kingdom, United States or Australia will soon have to budget for a brand-new pre-travel authorisation fee. The Times of London reported on 4 February 2026 that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) has been priced at €20 (about CZK 500) and will become mandatory across the 29 Schengen states—including Czechia—by late 2026. (thetimes.com)
ETIAS is not a visa; rather, it functions like the U.S. ESTA or the UK ETA. Travellers will complete an online form supplying passport data, travel itinerary, health and security information, and pay the €20 fee with a credit card. Most applications should be cleared "within minutes," according to EU officials, but up to 30 days may be required if a hit appears in Interpol, Schengen Information System or Europol databases. Once approved, the authorisation is valid for three years (or until the passport expires) and permits multiple short-term stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
For companies relocating staff or organising short-term assignments to Czechia, the new system introduces both cost and compliance considerations. Mobility managers will need to capture ETIAS numbers alongside passport and work-permit data, update travel-approval workflows, and brief travellers to apply well in advance—especially during the first months, when processing volumes will spike. HR teams should also audit existing travel-tracking tools to ensure ETIAS expiry dates trigger renewal reminders; failure to hold a valid authorisation could result in boarding denials by airlines or rejection at Czech border controls.
Small but important exemptions exist. Applicants aged under 18 or over 70 will still need to register but will not pay the fee. EU citizens and non-EU residents holding Czech residence cards remain exempt from ETIAS altogether, though their non-EU family members must apply. Cross-border truck drivers and coach operators who are visa-exempt nationals will also fall under the scheme.
![Europe Confirms €20 ETIAS Fee Ahead of 2026 Launch—What It Means for Trips to Czechia]()
Whether you are an individual tourist or a corporate travel manager, VisaHQ can simplify the process: its dedicated Czech Republic page (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) already tracks ETIAS developments and offers real-time guidance on Schengen visas, business invitations and residence permits. The platform’s dashboard lets users store documents, monitor expiry dates and bulk-submit applications, reducing the admin burden once the €20 authorisation becomes compulsory.
The fee announcement coincides with the phased roll-out of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), already live at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport since October 2025. From October 2025 to April 2026, non-EU passport holders arriving in Czechia have biometric facial images and fingerprints collected, replacing manual passport stamps. ETIAS will be digitally linked to the EES record, giving Czech border police an automated check that the traveller’s authorisation is active and that previous 90/180-day limits have not been exceeded.
Practically speaking, travellers bound for Czechia should:
• Apply for ETIAS as soon as flights or accommodation are booked—ideally 30 days before departure until systems stabilise.
• Use only the official EU portal (to be announced) to avoid scam websites charging inflated "service fees."
• Travel with the same passport used for the application; a replacement passport requires a new ETIAS and another €20 payment.
With Prague tourist arrivals already back to 2019 levels and corporate event bookings up 14 percent year-on-year, local stakeholders—from airlines to conference venues—welcome the clarity on pricing. Yet they also warn that late adopters could face disruption. "The €20 cost is not the problem," says Jakub Vyskočil, head of a leading Czech destination-management company. "What worries us is last-minute travellers who ignore the new requirement and get stranded at the gate. We are updating all client communications now so everyone landing in Prague after summer 2026 is aware."
ETIAS is not a visa; rather, it functions like the U.S. ESTA or the UK ETA. Travellers will complete an online form supplying passport data, travel itinerary, health and security information, and pay the €20 fee with a credit card. Most applications should be cleared "within minutes," according to EU officials, but up to 30 days may be required if a hit appears in Interpol, Schengen Information System or Europol databases. Once approved, the authorisation is valid for three years (or until the passport expires) and permits multiple short-term stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
For companies relocating staff or organising short-term assignments to Czechia, the new system introduces both cost and compliance considerations. Mobility managers will need to capture ETIAS numbers alongside passport and work-permit data, update travel-approval workflows, and brief travellers to apply well in advance—especially during the first months, when processing volumes will spike. HR teams should also audit existing travel-tracking tools to ensure ETIAS expiry dates trigger renewal reminders; failure to hold a valid authorisation could result in boarding denials by airlines or rejection at Czech border controls.
Small but important exemptions exist. Applicants aged under 18 or over 70 will still need to register but will not pay the fee. EU citizens and non-EU residents holding Czech residence cards remain exempt from ETIAS altogether, though their non-EU family members must apply. Cross-border truck drivers and coach operators who are visa-exempt nationals will also fall under the scheme.
Whether you are an individual tourist or a corporate travel manager, VisaHQ can simplify the process: its dedicated Czech Republic page (https://www.visahq.com/czech-republic/) already tracks ETIAS developments and offers real-time guidance on Schengen visas, business invitations and residence permits. The platform’s dashboard lets users store documents, monitor expiry dates and bulk-submit applications, reducing the admin burden once the €20 authorisation becomes compulsory.
The fee announcement coincides with the phased roll-out of the EU Entry/Exit System (EES), already live at Prague’s Václav Havel Airport since October 2025. From October 2025 to April 2026, non-EU passport holders arriving in Czechia have biometric facial images and fingerprints collected, replacing manual passport stamps. ETIAS will be digitally linked to the EES record, giving Czech border police an automated check that the traveller’s authorisation is active and that previous 90/180-day limits have not been exceeded.
Practically speaking, travellers bound for Czechia should:
• Apply for ETIAS as soon as flights or accommodation are booked—ideally 30 days before departure until systems stabilise.
• Use only the official EU portal (to be announced) to avoid scam websites charging inflated "service fees."
• Travel with the same passport used for the application; a replacement passport requires a new ETIAS and another €20 payment.
With Prague tourist arrivals already back to 2019 levels and corporate event bookings up 14 percent year-on-year, local stakeholders—from airlines to conference venues—welcome the clarity on pricing. Yet they also warn that late adopters could face disruption. "The €20 cost is not the problem," says Jakub Vyskočil, head of a leading Czech destination-management company. "What worries us is last-minute travellers who ignore the new requirement and get stranded at the gate. We are updating all client communications now so everyone landing in Prague after summer 2026 is aware."
