ETIAS: what it is, who needs it and when it starts

ETIAS is a travel authorisation that visa-free visitors, including UK, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders, will need before travelling to 30 European countries. On 5 October 2026 it was not yet in operation, no start date had been announced and nobody could apply. When it starts it will cost EUR 20, last up to three years and leave the 90/180 rule exactly as it is.

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Has ETIAS started?

No. On 5 October 2026 the official ETIAS website carried this notice on every page: "ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point. The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch."

The European Commission said on 28 April 2026 that ETIAS was "scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026" and that the exact date would be communicated later in the year. On 5 October 2026 no date had been published. The EU has promised several months' notice, so you do not need an ETIAS for a trip you are taking now.

What is ETIAS?

ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System. The EU describes it as "an entry requirement for visa-exempt nationals travelling to any of these 30 European countries". You apply online before you travel, and the authorisation is linked to your passport.

It is not a visa. The EU says: "ETIAS is not a visa, and its introduction does not modify the visa-free status of travellers."

Which countries will require ETIAS?

Thirty: the 29 countries of the Schengen area, and Cyprus. Ireland is not one of them.

Who will need an ETIAS?

Nationals of the 59 countries and territories whose citizens can visit the Schengen area without a visa. The EU names the US, Canada, the UK and Japan among them. Australia and New Zealand are on the list too.

GOV.UK says UK passport holders will need to apply if they do not already have a visa or residence permit. People covered by the EU-UK Withdrawal Agreement are exempt.

How much will ETIAS cost?

EUR 20 per application. The fee was originally set at EUR 7 and was raised to EUR 20 by a Commission regulation published in the EU's Official Journal on 29 October 2025. Some official pages still show the old figure.

Applicants under 18 or over 70 do not pay, and nor do family members of EU nationals who meet the conditions for that status.

How long will an ETIAS last?

In the EU's words, it is "valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. If you get a new passport, you need to get a new ETIAS travel authorisation."

Does ETIAS change the 90/180 rule?

No. An ETIAS lets you travel; it does not give you more days. The EU says a valid ETIAS "entitles you to stay in the European countries requiring ETIAS for up to 90 days within any 180-day period", which is the limit that applies today.

So an authorisation that is valid for three years does not let you stay for three years, or for 90 days at a time whenever you like. Say you spend 1 May to 29 July 2027 in Italy. That is 90 days. Whatever your ETIAS says, you cannot re-enter the Schengen area until 28 October 2027, when the first day of that stay falls out of the 180-day period.

One detail: time in Cyprus will be counted separately from time in the other 29 countries, as it is now.

For how the count works, see what the 90/180 rule is.

Does an ETIAS guarantee entry?

No. The EU says: "Having a valid ETIAS travel authorisation does not guarantee an automatic right of entry." A border guard still checks your passport and that you meet the entry conditions, and under the Entry/Exit System your days are counted automatically.

What happens in the first months after ETIAS starts?

The law builds in a soft start. For at least the first six months, the EU says travellers should apply, "but those without one will not be refused entry as long as they fulfil all remaining entry conditions". A grace period of at least six months follows, during which only people making their first trip since the end of that initial period may enter without one.

Where will I apply, and how do I avoid fake ETIAS websites?

The only official site is travel-europe.europa.eu/etias. Every official EU website ends in europa.eu. The EU warns that there are "dozens of unofficial ETIAS websites, often pretending to provide official information".

Because applications have not opened, any site taking money for an ETIAS today is not giving you one. GOV.UK puts it this way: "Any website selling ETIAS at this time is doing so fraudulently, and you should only apply on the official EU website when able to."

How are ETIAS and the EES different?

	ETIAS	EES
What it is	Permission to travel, applied for online before you go	A record of your entries and exits, made at the border
Status on 5 October 2026	Not started, no date announced	Fully operational since 10 April 2026
Cost	EUR 20	No charge
What you do	Apply before travelling, once it starts	Nothing in advance
Effect on the 90/180 rule	None	None, but your days are counted automatically

How Schengen Simple helps

ETIAS will decide whether you may travel. It will not tell you how many days you have left, and neither it nor the border system looks at the trips you have not taken yet. Schengen Simple does that part: add your past and planned trips and it shows how long you could stay from any date, so each trip still fits when you get to it.