If you are a young person—up to age 17—and you are traveling to Europe with your family, friends, or on your own, you can benefit from not having to pay the fee associated with the ETIAS form. This is one of the most attractive features of the ETIAS-SEIAV system: if you are under 18 or 70 or older (inclusive), you are not required to pay the form fee. This is a significant advantage, but… what happens when I turn 18 or 70? Do I have to apply for a new ETIAS – SEIAV?

Well, the answer is: it depends. What does it depend on? It depends on where you are at the time of that very important milestone—turning 18. If you’re in the middle of a trip to the Schengen Area, you’ll have already applied for your ETIAS and will be traveling, so it’s no longer required for that same trip. But if you have more trips planned in the coming months, you’ll have to apply for a new one, since once you turn 18, the fee applies. Even if the three-year validity period of your first ETIAS hasn’t expired yet, if you’re now 18, you’ll need to apply for a new one for your next trip to the Schengen Area.

But… be careful with frequent travel; the recommendation is one trip per 6-month period, since one of the problems with travelers visiting Europe is that they intend to stay and live there illegally, and they make constant entries and exits to achieve their goal. The EES system, installed at all Schengen arrival airports, has been recording all these entries since October 2025, as well as departures, since it is illegal to stay for more than 90 days.