Two new systems are changing how non-EU travellers enter Europe. One is already live. The other launches within months and comes with a confirmed fee. Here is what actually changes for your next trip.
EES and ETIAS are often mentioned in the same breath, which causes a lot of the confusion. They are not the same thing, they do not launch at the same time, and only one of them costs money.
The Entry/Exit System replaces the manual passport stamp for non-EU nationals, including UK travellers, with a digital record. On your first crossing after EES applies to your route, border staff will capture your fingerprints and a facial photo, which are then used to automatically log your entries and exits on future trips. Children under 12 are not fingerprinted. There is nothing to apply for beforehand, and no fee, it simply happens at passport control. Expect this first registration to take a little longer than the passport stamp it replaces, particularly at busy periods while the system beds in.
ETIAS is closer to what US travellers know as ESTA. It is a short online form you complete before you travel, checked against security and immigration databases, and most applications are approved within minutes, though a small number take up to 96 hours if manual review is needed. Once approved, it is linked electronically to your passport, so there is nothing physical to print or carry.
The European Commission confirmed the fee at €20 per application in July 2025, revised up from an originally proposed €7. Travellers under 18 and over 70 are exempt from paying, though they still need to complete the application itself. The €20 is a one-off cost covering the full validity period, not a per-trip charge.
Once approved, an ETIAS authorisation is valid for 3 years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. Within that window, you can make as many short trips as you like to participating countries without reapplying.
ETIAS applies to travellers from visa-exempt countries who currently enter Europe with just a passport, including the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea, among others. It covers the Schengen Area plus a small number of additional EU countries that are not full Schengen members. If your nationality already requires a Schengen visa, ETIAS does not apply to you, since you will continue going through the visa process instead.
When ETIAS launches, most reporting points to roughly a six month grace period where entry without ETIAS may still be possible in some cases, with mandatory enforcement expected from around April 2027. Airlines will eventually be required to check ETIAS status before allowing you to board, so relying on the grace period rather than applying in good time is a genuine risk, not just a formality.
The increase from the original €7 proposal has drawn attention, but it broadly brings the EU in line with similar systems elsewhere, several of which have also risen recently.
| System | Country or region | Current fee |
|---|---|---|
| ETIAS | European Union | €20 |
| ESTA | United States | $40 |
| UK ETA | United Kingdom | £20 |
| eTA | Canada | CAD $7 |
| ETA | Australia | AUD $20 |
Worth noting for UK travellers specifically: the UK's own ETA scheme, required for many visitors coming into Britain, rose from £16 to £20 in April 2026, so the direction of travel on these fees has been upward across several countries at once, not just within the EU.
If you are travelling to Europe before ETIAS launches, nothing changes for your visa-free entry, though you will encounter EES biometric checks at the border already. Once ETIAS opens for applications, plan to apply as soon as you have booked a trip rather than waiting, since a small number of applications need the longer manual review window. Bookmark the official EU ETIAS portal now so you are not searching for it under time pressure later, and be wary of any site charging more than the confirmed €20, since unofficial services charging inflated service fees have already been flagged as a problem before the system has even launched.