- Starting January 1, 2026, Switzerland will raise the ETIAS fee from €7 ($8) to €20 ($23).
- This fee increase aligns Switzerland with other Schengen Area countries.
- The change aims to enhance border security and improve digital screening systems.
Beginning January 1, 2026, Switzerland will increase the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) fee from €7 ($8) to €20 ($23). This change aligns the country with other Schengen Area nations as part of efforts to enhance border security and digital screening systems.
The announcement, made on November 22, 2025, places Switzerland alongside countries such as France, Italy, Spain, Greece, and Belgium, all of which have agreed to the same fee adjustment.
ETIAS is a mandatory pre-travel authorization for nationals of visa-exempt countries including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, and several others required before entering the Schengen Area for short stays.
According to the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration (SEM), the increased fees will fund cybersecurity upgrades, new data-sharing links with Europol, and improvements to the Schengen Information System (SIS), enabling quicker identification of identity fraud and high-risk travelers.
The fee hike comes after extensive technical discussions among Schengen member states, which concluded that the original €7 charge was insufficient to cover the costs of the expanded border-tech systems now being deployed across Europe. This adjustment represents the first significant change in ETIAS pricing since its introduction.
Impact on Travelers and Businesses
For individual travelers, the additional cost remains modest, as ETIAS approvals are valid for three years or until the passport expires, keeping the cost per trip relatively low.
However, corporate travel managers are advised to review budgets, especially for multi-country assignments or frequent trips to Switzerland and other Schengen countries starting in 2026. Companies that pay ETIAS fees in bulk for project staff may see administrative costs nearly triple, potentially prompting revisions to internal billing practices or passing the expense to employees or clients.
While travel-management firms do not expect the fee increase to reduce overall travel demand, it could influence the frequency of short-term business trips.
Swiss border authorities anticipate operational improvements once ETIAS is fully integrated with the EU’s Entry/Exit System (EES), a biometric registration platform. Airports in Zurich, Geneva, and Basel expect faster passenger processing as ETIAS approvals and EES registrations will be combined into a single QR code for seamless scanning at automated gates.
Key Takeaways
Tourism and aviation organizations, including Switzerland Tourism, have supported the fee increase, noting that reliable funding for border-security technology is preferable to ad-hoc surcharges or sudden airport security levies. Industry groups say harmonizing fees across Schengen countries helps maintain Switzerland’s competitiveness relative to neighboring destinations.
For companies sending U.S. or U.K. engineers and specialists frequently, experts recommend bundling trips so that a single ETIAS authorization can cover multiple assignments.
The SEM plans to release multilingual guidance for employers by the end of the second quarter of 2026, detailing compliance deadlines, payment procedures, and transition measures.
