Update
ETIAS: what we know and what is unconfirmed
ETIAS is the planned travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors to Europe. Here is what the sources say about the fee and the date, and what they do not.
We are not lawyers. This is legal information, not legal advice, and we are not liable for how you use it. Official sources and the decisions of regulators and courts come first. Read the disclaimer.
The short version
According to press reports, ETIAS, the travel authorisation for visa-exempt visitors to Europe, is scheduled for the fourth quarter of 2026. The same reports give a fee of €20, up from the €7 first announced. We found no confirmed launch date in the sources we checked, so the rules ledger marks ETIAS as Unconfirmed.
What ETIAS is
ETIAS is an authorisation for visitors who do not need a visa to enter Europe. It is something you obtain before you travel. The official portal is travel-europe.europa.eu/etias.
ETIAS is not EES
They are two different systems. ETIAS is an authorisation you obtain before you travel. EES is the registration that happens at the border. According to the European Commission, EES became fully operational across all Schengen countries on 10 April 2026. Our article on EES at the border explains how it works and what has changed.
What we could not confirm
- The firm launch date. The sources say the fourth quarter of 2026, and none of them gave a confirmed day.
- How long an authorisation lasts, and how long approval takes. We did not find these in a source we could verify, so we do not state them.
What to do now
- Treat the official portal as the place to apply once applications open. We have not checked the many other sites that offer ETIAS services, so we do not vouch for them.
- Check the rules ledger. We change the date and the status only after we re-check the sources.
Sources.
Checked 02 Oct 2026. Where we could only find press reports, the text says so.
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