In an article published on 13 October, The Guardian highlighted industry warnings that more than 150 unofficial websites are charging UK and other visa-exempt travellers for an ETIAS “service” that does not yet exist. At ABTA’s annual convention, officials stressed that the European Commission has set no replacement date after postponing ETIAS earlier this year. Although the story targets UK holidaymakers, its findings matter to Czechia because British citizens make up the fourth-largest cohort of non-EU visitors to the country. Prague hotels recorded 835,000 UK guest-nights in 2025, many booked by corporate meetings and incentive groups. Mobility teams organising training sessions in Brno or Ostrava risk reputational damage if participants are duped into paying bogus ETIAS fees. The Guardian also reports that the official cost will rise from €7 to €20 when ETIAS eventually starts, though travellers under 18 or over 70 will remain exempt. Czech travel-management companies are updating cost forecasts for 2027 budgets accordingly and advising HR departments to include the higher fee in assignment allowances once the system launches. From a compliance perspective, Czech authorities will not fine travellers who arrive without ETIAS until the new start date takes effect, but immigration lawyers caution that data scraped by scam sites could be sold on the dark web, exposing executives to identity theft. Firms should therefore remind staff that only the official EU domain ending in ‘.europa.eu’ will host the real application form.
Source: The Guardian
