ETIAS Timing Update

Europe’s new ETIAS travel permit still is not in force, and the European Union now says it will start in the last quarter of 2026. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) ETIAS is a pre-trip authorization for travelers from visa-free countries, including the United States and United Kingdom, visiting 30 European countries for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The official EU ETIAS site says no applications are being collected yet and that travelers do not need to take action now. (travel-europe.europa.eu, travel-europe.europa.eu) The system that did go live is the Entry/Exit System, or EES, which became fully operational across Schengen countries on April 10, 2026. The European Commission says EES replaces passport stamping with digital records of entries, exits and refusals of entry for non-EU short-stay travelers. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) EES started with a phased rollout on October 12, 2025 and ran through April 9, 2026, with countries introducing biometric checks in stages. The EU’s travel portal says passports could still be stamped during that transition, but full digital processing now applies at all external border crossing points using the system. (home-affairs.ec.europa.eu, travel-europe.europa.eu) That timing matters because ETIAS and EES are linked but not identical. EES records border crossings and biometrics at the frontier, while ETIAS is the advance permission check that visa-exempt travelers will need before boarding a trip to Europe once it begins. (consilium.europa.eu, travel-europe.europa.eu) For U.S. travelers, the practical takeaway is simple: a summer 2026 Europe trip does not yet require ETIAS, but border checks may look different because EES is already running. The EU says it will announce the specific ETIAS start date several months before launch. (travel-europe.europa.eu, travel-europe.europa.eu) The ETIAS fee is set at €20, and the authorization will be linked to a traveler’s passport for up to three years or until that passport expires, whichever comes first. If you get a new passport, the EU says you will need a new ETIAS authorization. (travel-europe.europa.eu, home-affairs.ec.europa.eu) The 30 countries in the system include France, Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, the Netherlands, Switzerland and Norway, along with newer additions such as Bulgaria, Romania and Cyprus. The EU’s eligibility page says nationals of 59 visa-exempt countries and territories, including the U.S., will need ETIAS for those trips. (travel-europe.europa.eu, travel-europe.europa.eu) Children are not exempt from the authorization requirement. The EU’s ETIAS guidance says applications can be submitted on behalf of other people, including children, with separate declarations for each traveler. (travel-europe.europa.eu, travel-europe.europa.eu) The schedule has already moved before, and EU institutions have described the current target as the “last quarter of 2026,” not a fixed launch day. Until Brussels publishes that date, ETIAS remains a coming rule, not a current one. (travel-europe.europa.eu, travel-europe.europa.eu)