ETIAS start date: latest official news

Where things stand

Status

Not started yet

Start date

No official date yet

Last checked

28 October 2026

What we know

• ETIAS isn't in operation and no applications are being taken. The EU will announce the start date several months before launch. You don't need to do anything yet.
• It will cost €20. It's free if you're under 18 or over 70, or a family member of an EU citizen who meets the conditions. The fee isn't refunded if you're refused.
• An ETIAS will last 3 years, or until the passport you applied with expires if that's sooner. You can use it for as many trips as you like, normally up to 90 days in any 180.
• It's linked to your passport. If you get a new passport, you need a new ETIAS. Travel with the same passport you applied with, or you won't be allowed to board or enter.
• You'll need one if you hold a US, UK, Canadian, Australian or New Zealand passport, along with nationals of the other visa-exempt countries (59 in all). Irish citizens don't need one.
• If you're also a citizen of Ireland or of a country that requires ETIAS, you're exempt, but you must travel on that country's passport.
• ETIAS will be needed for 30 countries: the 29 Schengen countries plus Cyprus. Cyprus isn't in Schengen, so days there are counted separately from your 90 days in the others.
• Apply before you buy tickets or book hotels. Most applications are decided in minutes, but some take up to 4 days, or up to 30 days if you're asked for more information or an interview.
• After launch there'll be a transition of at least 6 months when you should have an ETIAS, but won't be refused entry without one if you meet the other conditions. A grace period of at least 6 more months follows: you'll need one, unless it's your first trip since the transition ended.
• The form will ask about criminal convictions, travel to war or conflict zones, and any recent order to leave a country.
• Your passport must be less than 10 years old and valid for more than 3 months after you plan to leave.
• Apply only on the official ETIAS website or app once it opens. Other sites may charge extra or collect your data, and the EU doesn't license any company to sell ETIAS. Official ETIAS website

Timeline

• 16 November 2016: The European Commission proposed ETIAS.
• 12 September 2018: The ETIAS Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 was adopted. It came into force on 9 October 2018.
• 3 April 2023: The EU warned about dozens of unofficial ETIAS websites, some using the EU logo and collecting personal data.
• 19 October 2023: EU home affairs ministers endorsed a roadmap saying ETIAS would be ready to start from mid-2025.
• 19 February 2025: The official ETIAS site said ETIAS would not start in the first half of 2025, and set out the transitional and grace periods.
• 5 March 2025: Ministers endorsed a revised timeline: the Entry/Exit System in October 2025, then ETIAS in the last quarter of 2026.
• 17 July 2025: The Commission raised the planned fee from €7 to €20, to apply once ETIAS starts.
• 12 October 2025: The Entry/Exit System started, the step that comes before ETIAS.
• 29 January 2026: The Commission said ETIAS was scheduled for the last quarter of 2026, with the exact date to be confirmed later in the year.
• 10 April 2026: The Entry/Exit System became fully operational at all Schengen borders.
• 28 April 2026: The Commission again said the last quarter of 2026, with the exact date to be 'officially communicated later this year'.
• 4 June 2026: A Council briefing for the 4 and 5 June ministers' meeting said ETIAS was planned for the fourth quarter of 2026.
• 19 October 2026: eu-LISA, the EU agency building ETIAS, named it 'a major focus for 2027'. No start date was given.
• 28 October 2026: Still not in operation. No start date has been announced, and the EU promises several months' notice.

How we keep this up to date

We check the EU's official ETIAS pages every week. When anything changes, it goes in our rule changes log, which you can follow with a feed reader at /rule-changes.xml.

Until ETIAS starts, use the checker to count your 90 days in any 180 in the Schengen area.

Related guides

• How the Schengen 90/180 rule works
• ESTA, ETA, eTA and ETIAS explained
• The EU Entry/Exit System
• Official ESTA, ETA and e-visa sites