ETIAS delayed to late‑2026
The EU’s new traveler pre‑authorization system, ETIAS, is now expected to launch in autumn 2026 rather than immediately, and authorities are planning a grace period before it becomes mandatory. (thetraveler.org). The rollout is happening alongside the EU’s biometric Entry/Exit System, which is being activated across Schengen countries with biometric kiosks and an end to passport stamps already in motion. ( ).
The European Union has pushed its new ETIAS travel permit to the last quarter of 2026, more than a year after the bloc’s biometric border system began rolling out. (travel-europe.europa.eu; travel-europe.europa.eu) ETIAS, short for European Travel Information and Authorisation System, will apply to visa-free travellers from 59 countries and territories entering 30 European countries for short stays. The official ETIAS site says no applications are being collected yet, and the European Union will announce the exact start date several months before launch. (travel-europe.europa.eu; travel-europe.europa.eu) The first year will not be a hard switch. The European Union says ETIAS will begin with at least a six-month grace period, when travellers who meet all other entry conditions can still cross the border without the new authorisation. (travel-europe.europa.eu) That delay leaves the Entry/Exit System as the immediate change travellers are already encountering at the border. The Entry/Exit System records a traveller’s name, passport details, fingerprints, facial image, and the place and date of entry or exit instead of adding a passport stamp. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu; consilium.europa.eu) The Entry/Exit System started operating on 12 October 2025 and was introduced gradually across participating countries, with full implementation reached on 10 April 2026. The European Commission said on 30 March that more than 45 million border crossings had already been registered during the phased rollout. (travel-europe.europa.eu; home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) European Union home affairs ministers backed the revised sequence on 5 March 2025, putting the Entry/Exit System first and ETIAS a few months later. The Council also backed a six-month progressive launch for the border database to give national border agencies and transport companies more time to adjust. (consilium.europa.eu; consilium.europa.eu) For travellers, the split means two separate changes. First comes biometric registration at the border under the Entry/Exit System; later comes an online pre-trip clearance under ETIAS, linked to a passport and valid for up to three years or until that passport expires. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu; travel-europe.europa.eu) The European Commission’s migration department says the ETIAS fee has been set at 20 euros, up from the earlier planned 7 euros, citing inflation since 2018 and added technical costs. That payment will only apply once the system is live. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) So as of Monday, 13 April 2026, the practical message is narrower than many travellers think: biometric border checks are already in place, but ETIAS itself still has not opened for applications. (travel-europe.europa.eu; travel-europe.europa.eu)
