The New Travel Fee For Canadians Visiting Europe Has Been Postponed

Q: What is ETIAS?

ETIAS are being put to use in order to 'reduce procedures and wait times, as well as address security concerns,' the EU says on the ETIAS website.'It is a completely electronic system that allows and keeps track of visitors from countries who do not need a visa to enter the Schengen Zone. In a way, it resembles the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which serves a similar purpose.' Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom are a few of the countries that will be required to pay the ETIAS authorization fee.Travellers will be required to fill out a form and pay the fee, which is estimated to take only a few minutes. The form will ask questions regarding criminal records, conflict zones and instructions on how to exit the EU.If approved, your ETIAS can be valid anywhere from three years to whenever your passport expires.

Over 60 countries will be required to pay a fee.

Assistant Editor, MTL Blog

A person holding up a Canadian passport at the airport, Right: Various EU flags.

Margolana | Dreamstime,Marc Bruxelle | Dreamstime

Last summer the European Union introduced a new visa waiver system, known as the European Travel Information Authorisation System (ETIAS) that will require certain non-EU travellers who don't require a visa to pay a 7 euro fee.

The system, which will cover travellers from over 60 countries that are not part of the European Union, was originally intended to roll out in May 2023 and was later pushed back to November 1, 2023.

Now the EU has yet again postponed the commencement date — the system is expected to be fully operational as of 2024.

So, those who hoped to travel to Europe and frolic through the streets of Paris or eat their body weight in pasta in Italy don't have to worry about any ETIAS application this year.

What is ETIAS?

ETIAS are being put to use in order to "reduce procedures and wait times, as well as address security concerns," the EU says on the ETIAS website.

"It is a completely electronic system that allows and keeps track of visitors from countries who do not need a visa to enter the Schengen Zone. In a way, it resembles the U.S. Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA), which serves a similar purpose."

Canada, the United States and the United Kingdom are a few of the countries that will be required to pay the ETIAS authorization fee.

Travellers will be required to fill out a form and pay the fee, which is estimated to take only a few minutes. The form will ask questions regarding criminal records, conflict zones and instructions on how to exit the EU.

If approved, your ETIAS can be valid anywhere from three years to whenever your passport expires.

Who will need to pay the ETIAS visitors' fee?

Here's a full list of countries that will need to fill out the form and pay the new EU visitor fee:

Albania
Antigua and Barbuda
Argentina
Australia
Bahamas
Barbados
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
Brunei
Canada
Chile
Colombia
Costa Rica
Dominica
El Salvador
Georgia
Grenada
Guatemala
Honduras
Hong Kong
Israel
Japan
Kiribati
Macao
Malaysia
Marshall Islands
Mauritius
Mexico
Micronesia
Moldova
Montenegro
Nauru
New Zealand
Nicaragua
North Macedonia
Palau
Panama
Paraguay
Peru
Saint Kitts and Nevis
Saint Lucia
Saint Vincent
Samoa
Serbia
Seychelles
Singapore
Solomon Islands
South Korea
Taiwan
Timor Leste
Tonga
Trinidad and Tobago
Tuvalu
Ukraine
United Arab Emirates
United Kingdom
United States of America
Uruguay
Vanuatu
Venezuela

This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.

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