UK Tourists Pay €20 Airport Charge in Majorca and Tenerife Under New ETIAS Rule

(SPAIN) — European Union officials confirmed a new €20 charge for visa-exempt travellers using the ETIAS travel authorisation system, a fee that will apply to UK tourists heading to Spain and 29 other participating European countries when the scheme launches in late 2026.

British travellers going to Majorca, Menorca, Tenerife and Lanzarote will need the authorization before travel, but the rule is not limited to those Spanish destinations. The ETIAS entry fee applies across 30 participating European countries.

The system is a travel authorisation, not a visa. Travellers must obtain it before departure.

EU officials confirmed on March 6, 2026, that the fee would rise to €20 per person from an originally proposed €7. The European Commission cited inflationary adjustments and higher cyber-security overheads for the increase.

That change puts a higher price tag on a system many UK tourists will need before the end of this year. ETIAS is slated to launch in late 2026 and become mandatory before the end of 2026.

For most users, the online application process should take “less than ten minutes“. Once approved, the authorisation remains valid for three years or until passport expiry, whichever comes first.

Travellers must pay the fee each time they make a new application. A valid ETIAS will be required before boarding, and failure to hold one will lead to boarding denial or refused entry at the border.

Some groups will not have to pay. Children under 18, seniors over 70, and certain family members of EU citizens are exempt from the fee.

The move affects British visitors because they are visa-exempt travellers entering countries covered by the system. Spain is among those countries, meaning the requirement will reach beyond holiday hotspots and apply at a broader European level.

That matters for travellers who may have seen the change framed around Spanish islands alone. The ETIAS entry fee covers entry into any of the 30 participating countries, not only breaks in the Balearics or Canary Islands.

Spain’s tourism ministry said the charge remains “considerably cheaper” than a Schengen visa. Officials have presented ETIAS as a way to streamline entry while maintaining security and border controls.

For holidaymakers, the practical effect is simple. Approval will need to come before travel, and travellers without a valid authorisation risk being stopped before they board or turned away on arrival.

The new ETIAS charge also arrives on the same day that another cost increase took effect for many British passengers flying to short-haul destinations. UK Air Passenger Duty rose on April 1, 2026.

Economy passengers travelling on short-haul routes such as Majorca, Menorca, Tenerife and Lanzarote now pay £15 per passenger, up from £13. Premium cabin passengers now pay £32, up from £28.

Those are separate measures. Air Passenger Duty is a UK tax on flights, while ETIAS is an EU travel authorisation requirement tied to entry.

Together, though, they add to the cost calculations for British holidaymakers booking trips to Spanish islands and other nearby European destinations. One increase applies when tickets are bought for short-haul flights from the UK, and the other will apply when ETIAS comes into force later in the year.

The revised ETIAS fee marks a large jump from the original proposal. At €20 rather than €7, the charge is nearly three times the amount first put forward for visa-exempt travellers.

Officials linked that increase to two factors named on March 6, 2026: inflation and cyber-security costs. The European Commission cited higher overheads in setting the new figure.

The authorisation’s duration gives travellers some continuity once it is granted. A person whose passport remains valid could use the same ETIAS for up to three years, but passport expiry cuts that period short.

That detail matters for frequent travellers. A renewal of the passport means a new application, and the fee is payable each time a new application is made.

For many travellers, the system will likely be encountered as an online form completed before departure. EU officials said the process should take “less than ten minutes” for most users.

Speed, however, does not remove the requirement. ETIAS must still be valid before a traveller begins the journey.

Airlines and border authorities will enforce that point. The stated consequence for someone without a valid ETIAS is boarding denial or refused entry.

British families may see the fee affect members of the same booking differently. Children under 18 do not have to pay, while adults aged 18 to 70 generally do.

Older travellers also fall into an exempt category. Seniors over 70 do not have to pay the fee, and certain family members of EU citizens are also exempt.

Those exemptions do not change the need for the system itself to be in place for covered travellers. ETIAS remains a pre-travel authorization tied to entry into participating countries.

Spain sits at the center of the issue because of its popularity with UK tourists, especially on short-haul island routes. Yet the framework is European rather than Spanish, and the same authorisation rule reaches all 30 countries in the scheme.

That distinction is likely to shape how travellers plan multi-country trips. Someone flying to Spain and moving on to another participating country would still be dealing with one European entry system rather than a destination-specific airport charge.

Officials have cast the system as an attempt to keep borders moving while preserving checks. Spain’s tourism ministry pointed to the price comparison with a Schengen visa as part of that argument.

The ministry’s language was direct. It said the ETIAS fee is “considerably cheaper” than a Schengen visa.

For UK tourists, the introduction of ETIAS adds a new administrative step to European travel that had been expected but now has a confirmed price. The amount, timing and penalties for non-compliance are now clearer.

The amount is €20. The timing points to late 2026, with mandatory use before the end of that year.

The penalties are also explicit. Travellers who do not hold a valid ETIAS face boarding denial or refused entry.

Those consequences make advance preparation more than a formality. A traveller cannot simply arrive and sort it out at the airport.

Meanwhile, the rise in UK Air Passenger Duty already applies from April 1, 2026. A passenger flying economy to short-haul destinations such as Majorca, Menorca, Tenerife and Lanzarote now faces a £15 levy instead of £13, while a premium cabin passenger now faces £32 instead of £28.

That increase is measured in pounds, while ETIAS is set in euros. For UK holidaymakers, both figures will sit alongside airfare and accommodation costs as bookings are made for 2026 trips.

The ETIAS system also differs from a visa in another way that officials have emphasized. It is designed for visa-exempt travellers, meaning people who do not need a visa for short stays will still need this separate travel authorisation before entering participating countries.

That places ETIAS in a middle ground between visa-free travel and a full visa process. Travellers keep visa-free access for short visits, but they no longer travel without prior digital approval.

The result is a new routine for millions of short-break and summer-holiday passengers, including UK tourists bound for Spain’s busiest resort islands. Before they fly, they will need a valid authorisation under a European system that now carries a confirmed ETIAS entry fee of €20.