After this summer, traveling to countries in the European Union (EU) is about to get more complicated and expensive for those in the U.S. and Canada. Just as the United States government plans to double its ESTA fee for international travelers from allied nations to enter the country (including Europeans), Europe is responding with its own entrance price hike, which is set to impact Americans and Canadians, who have typically always been able to enter any country in the EU without any fees or even a visa—that's about to change.
For a few years now, the European Union (EU) has been developing a new entry-exit system (EES) that will see stricter controls on travelers from "third" countries—a category which includes Americans and Canadians. Complementing the EES is ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorization System)— also dubbed the so-called "Euro-visa." ETIAS is similar to the United States' ESTA (Electronic System for Travel Authorization) and Canada's eTA (Electronic travel authorization); it's an authorization system whereby visitors from non-EU countries must apply for permission to enter any country in the EU's Schengen zone (the 29 Schengen states, plus Cyprus) before arriving. The new EES system will also require visitors from the USA and Canada to give facial scans and fingerprints as part of the entry process.
The EU's EES (and ETIAS) was set to go live in early 2025 (a significant delay already from the original planned launch date in 2024), but officials have now confirmed a new expected date of implementation, along with a steep increase in the cost of ETIAS that will now mean Americans and Canadians will soon be forced to pay triple the original price.
ETIAS is a type of entry permit which Americans and Canadians will need to obtain before traveling to any country within the EU's Schengen area. It has been dubbed the "Euro-visa," but it isn't exactly a visa; rather, it's a mandatory “permission slip” some travelers from "third" countries will need to apply for before entering a number of countries within the European Union (including American and Canadian visitors), which they could formerly visit without a visa or any entry fee payments.
The EU says 1.4 billion people from 59 visa-exempt countries and territories (which fall under the "third" country definition) will be required to get ETIAS approval to enter 30 European countries for a short stay of up to 90 days. However, the EU has recently unveiled a new, increased fee for the upcoming ETIAS; papers published by the EU’s Migration and Home Affairs directorate highlight that the cost will be tripled.
A "third country" is defined by the EU as a country that is not a member of the European Union. The definition also includes countries or territories whose citizens don't have the right to travel freely within the European Union. Those definitions include citizens of the United States and Canada.
Previously, the cost of obtaining the permit was set at €7, or around $8 USD and $11 CAD. However, it's now officially confirmed that the fee is set to triple before ETIAS is even rolled out.
The new price of €20 is approximately $23 USD and $32 CAD. While it may not seem like a lot, the fee must be paid on a per-person basis. That means, for instance, a family of four vacationing in an applicable EU country must pay €80 ($94 USD or $128 CAD), which may be a noticeable hit for travelers on a budget. There are some exceptions to the payment, though; the EU outlines on its website that some travelers will be exempt from the ETIAS fee.
“Applicants who are under 18 or over 70 years of age are exempt from this payment. Also exempt are family members of EU citizens and family members of non-EU nationals who have the right to move freely throughout the European Union," the EU states on its website.
American and Canadian travelers, be they tourists or visiting for business, will be required to get ETIAS before their travels once Europe’s new entry-exit system (EES) is implemented. The EES is set to launch first, which will see all travelers from non-EU countries (which include Americans and Canadians) face stricter border checks, scrutiny, and biometric provisions—at border crossing points, travelers will be mandated to provide facial scans and fingerprints as part of the EU's upcoming, tightened controls and checks on non-EU visitors.
EES-compliant EU frontier posts will take travelers' biometrics; however, passports will still be scrutinized and stamped until the system's rollout reaches completion. Thereafter, passport stamps won't be necessary.
So, when exactly will the EES (and thus ETIAS) apply? Confusingly, they won't start at the same time, but the former will launch sooner than many might expect—just after this summer, in fact. Meanwhile, the latter is expected to begin a little later.
Initially, the European Union's new entry-exit system (EES), which ETIAS is somewhat a part of, was set to launch all over the EU Schengen zone just under a year ago on the original planned 10 November 2024 deadline, covering participating EU Member States, from the Arctic to the Canary Islands.
The EU's EES website confirms that the countries in the Schengen area (which will use the EES) are: "Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland."
The 2024 deadline was missed, postponing the estimated date until early 2025, by which American and Canadian travelers were originally expected to be ready to comply. After many delays and several failed start dates, though, the EES system is now set to apply on 12 October 2025, according to the EU and EU-LISA, the body responsible for the system.
“The new entry-exit system will start on 12 October 2025. European countries using the EES will introduce the system gradually at their external borders. This means your data may not be collected at every border crossing point right away," the EES website says.
However, the EES' rollout is anticipated to be a phased implementation, meaning American and Canadian travelers might experience varied enforcement and requirements at border crossing points in the EU following the launch and for a short period thereafter. Once the phase period is over, ETIAS will be established afterward. How long will all this take, though? There may be variation for at least half a year.
A "Border Roulette" Approach Is Expected Throughout The First Six Months—Then ETIAS Will Follow
Americans and Canadians traveling in the European Union within the first half-year of the EES launch may face something of a "border roulette," which travel experts have coined. A failure to meet the original November 2024 EES rollout deadline sparked a rethink among officials, when key member states, including France, Germany, and the Netherlands, said the system wasn't ready; the result is a phased rollout in which some EU border crossing points may require biometrics, while others might remain analogue only.
The new EES is thus planned to be phased in progressively through to early April 2026. Then, from 10 April 2026, EES will be operational at all external EU border crossings, which the EU's EES "Frequently Asked Questions" page states.
European Union EES & ETIAS Timeline
Original EES Launch Date:
10 November 2024
Current EES Launch Date:
12 October 2025
Current EES Expected Completion Date:
10 April 2026
Current ETIAS Expected Launch Date:
Late 2026
Therefore, starting from October 2025, Americans and Canadians will be impacted by the EES system, including its biometric mandates, which its FAQ also explains further. Regarding biometrics, the EU says, “The system will store four of your fingerprints and your facial image.”
Children under 12 will be exempt from providing fingerprints.
Once the entry-exit system is up and running, ETIAS is set to follow. The current expected start date for ETIAS is late 2026, according to the EU. The timelines and requirements are, for now, clear, but the question remains: why are the new EES and ETIAS systems being implemented?
The upcoming EES and ETIAS schemes in the European Union are being launched for a number of reasons. Connecting all Schengen area frontiers to a central database, the scheme will digitize border crossings, enabling officials and governments to monitor non-EU citizens, including Canadian and American visitors and tourists, much more closely. The new systems will also help the EU to identify suspected criminals, victims of crime, and terrorists, and combat identity fraud through the collection of biometric data. In particular, the EU is interested in identifying and controlling travelers who:
Have stayed in the EU longer than permitted
Are using fake passports or identities
Have no right to enter European countries using the EES
The EU's EES website also claims it'll make passport control and border checks more efficient and faster, the knock-on effect being an improved experience for travelers, particularly through the use of automated border controls at many entry points.
Moreover, it'll assist European authorities to better police the amount of time non-EU citizens stay in the EU, which, again, includes Americans and Canadians. The 90-day rule applies to both American and Canadian travelers in the EU, limiting their stay to only 90 days in any 180 days with a valid passport, as confirmed by the U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs. This rule also applies to other travelers from what the EU classifies as "third" countries. The EES system will help border and immigration authorities electronically track visitors' stays, which will also eliminate the need for passport stamping for most non-EU travelers once the scheme fully launches after the six-month rollout period.
Overall, ETIAS (and its fee increase) for American and Canadian travelers who hope to visit countries in the European Union isn't due to come into play until the last quarter of 2026, so there's plenty of time yet to account for it in travel budgets. Although, perhaps the most incredible part of all isn't the price hike, which has tripled before the ETIAS and EES schemes have rolled out. According to Euronews, which discussed the EU's long-term budget for the period 2028-2034, the ETIAS fee boost could generate an extra 300 million in revenue per year.
Still, the fee adjustment isn't final right now; its proposal is undergoing a review period by the Council and the European Parliament. It is expected to be approved, but American and Canadian travelers (as well as other non-EU nationals who'll have to apply for ETIAS) will need to wait until the two-month review period has passed to hear the final verdict.
https://www.thetravel.com/author/lauren-feather/
