The European Union has removed the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) launch date from its official website, days after reports suggested that the scheme would be delayed until 2027.
The site now states that ETIAS is not operational and that no applications are being accepted. It added that the EU will announce the start date several months before launch.
Until this update, the website listed the last quarter of 2026 as the launch window. That date has now disappeared.
Alignment with reports
The change removes the last public reference to a 2026 launch. Officials had relied on the Q4 timetable while declining to confirm or deny a delay.
The Financial Times reported that ETIAS would be delayed until 2027. At the time, the Commission had not updated the official timetable, leaving its position at odds with the reports.
Rather than setting a new date, the EU now promises several months’ notice before launch. The wording gives travellers advance warning before any new requirement takes effect.
Border system still sets pace
The delay stems from the Entry/Exit System (EES), the biometric border scheme ETIAS is designed to follow. Disruptions to EES have also pushed ETIAS back.
eu-LISA, which is developing both systems, has reportedly accepted that a 2026 ETIAS launch is no longer feasible. Three people briefed on the matter reached the same conclusion.
One source cited “still some IT issues” with ETIAS, arguing that EES should be fixed before adding another system that could double queues.
Another described this year’s launch as “illusory”, while a different EU official suggested any delay would likely be brief.
EES has repeatedly missed deadlines since its original 2022 target because of procurement issues, technical faults and slow rollout across member states.
Rules already written
ETIAS rules are already in place despite the lack of a launch date. The permit will apply to visa-exempt travellers, including UK, US, Canadian and Australian passport holders, visiting for short stays.
It will cover 30 European countries: all EU states except Ireland, plus Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein and Switzerland. Time spent in Cyprus remains separate from the 90-day allowance elsewhere.
Applicants will apply online or through the ETIAS mobile app, provide passport and personal details, answer security questions and undergo pre-travel checks. Most applications should be approved within minutes.
More complex cases should be decided within four days, extending to 14 days if additional documents are needed or to 30 days if an interview is required.
The permit will be linked to the traveller’s passport and remain valid for three years, or until the passport expires. A new passport requires a new authorisation.
It allows stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period but does not guarantee entry. Border guards will still check travellers meet entry conditions.
The fee is €20, with exemptions reported for children under 18, adults over 70 and some family members of EU citizens. A transitional period of at least six months will allow eligible travellers without ETIAS to enter if they meet all other conditions.
Nothing to do, pay
Travellers do not need to take any action. The EU said that no ETIAS applications are being accepted.
That makes third-party sites offering ETIAS applications an unnecessary risk. There is nothing to apply for or pay.
Current Schengen entry rules remain unchanged. The website update affects only the timetable, not today’s border requirements.