Specialised portal ETIAS Pro clarified on 27 June that the forthcoming European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will waive the €20 fee for applicants aged 70 and over. Crucially, the waiver does **not** remove the obligation to obtain an ETIAS prior to travel once the system launches in Q4 2026. For Swiss-based mobility programmes the message is two-fold. First, dual-nationals travelling on Swiss passports remain exempt from ETIAS altogether, but older assignees or visiting relatives using visa-exempt third-country passports (US, UK, Canada) must still file. Second, corporate budgeting should factor in zero fee but not zero administration—applications, passport validity checks and pre-travel reminders all remain. The article also notes that ETIAS validity will mirror the passport’s expiry. Mobility managers should therefore audit senior travellers’ documents well before authorisation launches; a passport with under three years’ validity will shorten the ETIAS accordingly. ETIAS Pro recommends submitting applications weeks in advance, as a small percentage may be routed to manual review for up to 30 days—timelines that could clash with short-notice board meetings in Switzerland’s pharma or finance hubs. Finally, the guidance warns against scam sites already offering “fast-track” ETIAS for a fee: until the official EU portal opens, no legitimate application is possible.
Source: ETIAS Pro
