Answer in brief
ETIAS is an online travel authorisation for visa-exempt nationals making short stays in 30 European countries. On 5 October 2026 the official EU website said the system was not yet in operation and that no applications were being collected; the Commission’s published window is the last quarter of 2026. The fee is EUR 20, an authorisation lasts three years or until the passport expires, and the only official place to apply will be the europa.eu ETIAS site or its app.
A travel authorisation for people who do not need a visa
ETIAS stands for European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It is an online authorisation that nationals of visa-exempt countries will need before a short stay in 30 European countries. The official EU site is plain that it is not a visa and does not change anyone’s visa-free status; it is tied to the passport used in the application.
The 30 countries are the 29 states of the Schengen area plus Cyprus, according to the European Commission’s note for travellers of 28 April 2026. Ireland is not on the list. A short stay means up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and time spent in Cyprus is counted separately from time in the other 29.
The practical change is the moment of the check. A visa-exempt visitor has so far been assessed for the first time at the border. With ETIAS that happens before departure, and the Commission says carriers will verify the authorisation before the journey begins. The official site likens the scheme to the United Kingdom’s ETA and the United States’ ESTA.
What the official pages said about timing on 5 October 2026
We read the official ETIAS website on 5 October 2026. A notice at the top of its pages said the system was not in operation and no applications were being collected, and that the European Union would announce the specific ETIAS start date several months before launch.
The Commission’s April 2026 note gives a window rather than a day: ETIAS is scheduled to start in the last quarter of 2026, with the exact date to be communicated later that year. British government guidance, last updated on 10 April 2026, expects operations from autumn 2026 and asks nothing of travellers yet. When we checked, already inside that quarter, none of these pages named an ETIAS start date.
The start will not be a hard switch. The official site’s explanation of the timeline describes a transitional period of at least six months, in which travellers should apply but will not be refused entry solely for lacking an authorisation. A grace period of at least six months follows: the authorisation is required, except for people entering for the first time since the transitional period ended. Check the site for the final dates of both.
Who will have to apply and who is left out
The rule covers nationals of 59 visa-exempt countries and territories, by the official site’s count, among them the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Japan, Australia, Brazil and Mexico. Age makes no difference to the obligation: every traveller, children included, needs an individual authorisation, and there are no family or group applications.
Several groups are outside it. Citizens of the 30 countries and of Ireland do not need one; dual nationals must travel on that European passport. Holders of a valid visa are exempt, as are holders of a residence permit or card issued by one of the countries, with exceptions the site lists for Cyprus and Ireland. Nationals of visa-required countries still apply for a visa: the Commission’s example is a citizen of India, who is registered at the border but never needs ETIAS.
British travellers are covered: the official FAQ states that UK nationals need an authorisation for short stays unless they are Withdrawal Agreement beneficiaries holding the relevant residence document. Passengers who stay in an airport’s international transit area do not need one. Special conditions apply to some passports, to refugees, to stateless persons and to crew, so consult the page ‘Who should apply’ with your own travel document in hand.
EUR 20, three years, one passport: the terms as published
Applying on the official site will cost EUR 20. No fee is charged to applicants under 18 or over 70, though they must still apply, nor to family members of EU nationals who meet the conditions for that status. A refused application is not refunded. The Commission adopted the amount in July 2025, replacing the EUR 7 planned earlier, and explained the rise by inflation and added functions.
An authorisation lasts three years, unless the passport named in the application runs out sooner, in which case it ends with the passport. A passport with two years left produces a two-year authorisation, and a new passport always means a new application. Within that period you may enter repeatedly, provided each stay respects the limit of 90 days in 180. Renewal opens 120 days before expiry.
ETIAS allows a short stay; it gives no right to work or to study long term, and it does not guarantee entry, because border guards still check the entry conditions. One of them concerns the passport: issued within the last ten years and valid for more than three months after the day you intend to leave.
How the application will work once it opens
Applications will be made on the official website or in the official mobile app, and nowhere else directly. The form asks for personal details, your parents’ first names, passport data, education and occupation, and the first country you intend to stay in, then for any criminal convictions, travel to conflict zones and recent orders to leave a country. The official site states that no biometric data and no health information are requested.
Most applications are processed within minutes, according to the FAQ. The rest are answered within 96 hours, unless the authorities ask for more information, which the applicant has ten days to supply, or call an interview; a decision can then take up to a further 30 days. Hence the EU’s advice to apply before buying tickets or booking a hotel.
Accuracy is the applicant’s job. The authorisation is linked to the passport number, and the FAQ warns that one wrong character, a zero typed for the letter O, means refused boarding and refused entry. Use an email address only you control, since every message about the application goes there. Nothing needs printing: carriers and border guards read the authorisation in the system.
ETIAS and the Entry/Exit System are separate checks
The Entry/Exit System, or EES, already exists. The British government dates its start to 12 October 2025, and the Commission states that it has been fully operational across the Schengen countries since 10 April 2026. It registers non-EU nationals on short stays at each crossing of the external border: passport details, a facial image, fingerprints, and the date and place of entry and exit. There is nothing to apply for and, the UK guidance notes, nothing to pay.
The two systems differ on every practical point. EES applies to visa holders and visa-exempt visitors alike; ETIAS only to the visa-exempt. EES happens at the border; ETIAS before the journey. EES takes biometrics; ETIAS is a form and a fee. EES covers the 29 Schengen countries; ETIAS adds Cyprus. In the Commission’s example, a United States citizen needs the authorisation before leaving and is then recorded in the EES on arrival.
Neither replaces the other. A traveller already registered in the EES still needs an authorisation once ETIAS is required, and an authorisation does not shorten the first biometric registration, for which the UK guidance tells travellers to expect longer waits. The Commission adds that some countries let visitors pre-register their data in the Travel to Europe app within 72 hours before entry.
Unofficial websites and what the EU says about them
The official site says it is the only EU website through which an application can be submitted directly. Its news pages describe dozens of unofficial sites, many using the EU logo and others already collecting travellers’ personal data. The British guidance is blunter and calls any site that sells an ETIAS now fraudulent, since no applications are being accepted.
Paid help will be legal once the system runs. A friend, a relative or a commercial intermediary such as a travel agency may apply for you if both of you sign a declaration of representation. The intermediary still files through the official site, the official fee is still EUR 20, and anything above it is the intermediary’s own price. The EU states that it issues no licences or authorisations to such businesses.
Four checks are enough. The address ends in europa.eu, which the site gives as the mark of every official EU website. The fee quoted is EUR 20. The email address on the application is yours, not the agent’s. And you have seen the draft before it was sent, because the applicant remains responsible for every statement in it. Abusive intermediaries can be reported on the official site.
Booking a trip while the start date is still open
For a journey before the system starts, there is nothing to do about ETIAS: the existing entry conditions and the EES apply, and no payment to anyone will produce a valid authorisation. For a later journey, read the notice on the official site when you book and again a week or two before departure.
Once applications open, apply early: minutes are typical, but the published maximum runs to weeks, and tickets bought first leave no margin. Check the passport before the form, because the authorisation is tied to that document and a passport renewed after approval means applying again.
Fees, dates and exemptions are set by EU rules and can change, so treat this article as a reading of the official pages on 5 October 2026, not as a substitute for them. Keep three sources: the official ETIAS site, the Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs news, and your own government’s travel advice. Where they disagree with a headline or an advertisement, they are right.
Practical checklist
- Read the status notice on travel-europe.europa.eu/etias before you book and again shortly before you travel.
- Confirm on the official ‘Who should apply’ page whether your nationality and passport fall under ETIAS, a visa or an exemption.
- Check that your passport was issued less than ten years ago and stays valid for more than three months after you plan to leave.
- Once applications open, apply on the official site or app before paying for tickets, using an email address only you control.
- Walk away from any site that offers an ETIAS before the system opens or states an official fee other than EUR 20.
Questions and answers
When does ETIAS start?
No day had been published when we checked on 5 October 2026. The official ETIAS website said the system was not in operation and that the date would be announced several months ahead; the European Commission’s published window is the last quarter of 2026. Read the notice on travel-europe.europa.eu/etias before you travel, because the EU has said the date will be published there.
How much does ETIAS cost, and who does not pay?
The official fee is EUR 20 per application. Travellers under 18 or over 70 pay nothing but must still apply, and family members of EU nationals who qualify for that status are also exempt. If the application is refused, the fee is not returned. An intermediary may charge its own service price on top, which is why the amount on the payment page is worth checking.
How long does an ETIAS authorisation last?
Three years from approval, or until the passport named in the application expires if that comes sooner. During that time it covers repeated short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period. Replacing the passport for any reason ends the link, so a new authorisation is needed. The official FAQ says a fresh application can be filed from 120 days before the old one runs out.
Is ETIAS the same thing as the EES?
No. ETIAS is an online authorisation that visa-exempt travellers obtain before the trip, for a fee. The EES is a registration of passport data, face and fingerprints carried out at the border for nearly all non-EU short-stay visitors, with no application and no charge. A visa-exempt visitor will eventually pass through both: the authorisation first, the border registration on arrival.
Can I apply for ETIAS through a travel agency or another website?
Not before the system opens, whatever a site claims. Afterwards a third party may apply for you if you both sign a declaration of representation, but it will use the official EU site, and the EU does not license intermediaries. Check that the official fee shown is EUR 20, that your own email address is entered and that you see the draft. Applying yourself on the europa.eu site is the simplest route.