Schengen rules & borders
ETIAS: What It Is, What It Costs, and Where the Launch Stands
ETIAS is the EU's upcoming online travel authorisation for visa-free visitors, the European counterpart to the US ESTA and the UK ETA. A lot of pages still confidently quote a late-2026 start. That date is gone: as of July 2026 the launch is officially unscheduled and 2027 is the realistic expectation. Here is what is actually known, and what ETIAS will and will not change.
Updated July 18, 2026. We revise this page as the EU announces concrete dates; the status below reflects official EU pages and reporting as of mid-July 2026.
Cost
€20 per application
Free under 18 and over 70 (application still required)
Validity
3 years
Or until your passport expires, unlimited trips
Launch date
Unannounced
2026 target dropped; 2027 likely; date promised months ahead
Applies to
~60 nationalities
Visa-free visitors to 30 European countries
What ETIAS is (and is not)
ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is an online pre-screening for travelers who do not need a visa for short stays in Europe. Before a trip you apply on the official EU site or app with your passport details, pay 20 euros, and in the vast majority of cases receive an authorisation within minutes. It is electronically linked to your passport and valid for three years or until the passport expires.
It is not a visa, and crucially it is not extra stay time. The 90/180 rule continues to govern how long you can stay, with EES counting your days at the border. ETIAS decides whether you may travel at all; EES measures how long you actually stayed. The two systems are designed to work together.
The launch date, honestly
The official line was "last quarter of 2026" for most of the past year. In July 2026 the EU quietly removed that target from its ETIAS pages, which now say only that the specific date will be announced several months before launch. Reporting around the same time, citing the EU agency building the system, described a 2026 start as no longer feasible, with a revised timeline expected after the agency's September 2026 board meeting and a 2027 launch the realistic outcome.
Practical consequence: any page, agent or email telling you to get an ETIAS now is at best stale and at worst a scam. There is nothing to apply for yet, and no fee to pay anyone.
The soft start: transition and grace periods
ETIAS will not become mandatory overnight. The rules provide for a transitional period of at least six months after launch, during which you can still travel without an authorisation if you meet the other entry conditions. After that comes a grace period of at least another six months: travelers arriving for the first time since the transition ended are admitted once without ETIAS. Only after both periods does "no ETIAS, no boarding" apply strictly.
Any concrete calendar you see attached to those periods today is speculation keyed to a launch date that does not exist yet. When the EU announces the real date, the whole sequence shifts to match, and we will update this page.
What to do now
- Nothing, for ETIAS itself. There is no application to file and no queue to join.
- Make sure your passport has comfortable validity: ETIAS will be tied to the passport, so renewing right before launch means reapplying.
- Keep your 90/180 count clean. Overstays recorded by EES are kept for five years and immigration history will feed ETIAS screening. The calculator and the overstay guide cover that side.
- Ignore third-party sites selling ETIAS help today; the only real channel will be the official EU site and app.
FAQ
ETIAS FAQ
When does ETIAS start?
As of July 2026 there is no official launch date. The EU had targeted the last quarter of 2026, but that date has been removed from the official ETIAS pages, and reporting in July 2026 indicates a 2026 launch is no longer considered feasible, with 2027 most likely. The EU says it will announce the date several months before launch. Until then, nothing changes for travelers.
Is ETIAS a visa?
No. It is a travel authorisation for people who do not need a visa, similar to the US ESTA or the UK ETA. It is applied for online, linked to your passport, and is expected to be approved automatically within minutes for the vast majority of applicants.
How much will ETIAS cost and how long is it valid?
20 euros, after the fee was raised from the original 7 euros in 2025. It is free for applicants under 18 and over 70, though they must still apply. An approved authorisation is valid for three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and covers unlimited trips within the normal stay limits.
Who will need ETIAS?
Nationals of the roughly 60 visa-exempt countries, including the US, UK, Canada, Australia and Japan, traveling to 30 European countries: the 29 EES/Schengen countries plus Cyprus. EU citizens and holders of long-stay visas or residence permits will not need it.
Does ETIAS change the 90/180 rule?
No. ETIAS is permission to travel, not permission to stay longer. The 90-days-in-180 limit applies exactly as before, and EES continues to count your days at the border. An approved ETIAS with an exhausted 90/180 balance still means refused entry.
Will there be a grace period when ETIAS launches?
Yes, two. First a transitional period of at least six months, during which travel without ETIAS is still allowed if you meet the other entry conditions. Then a grace period of at least six months, during which travelers arriving for the first time since the transition ended are admitted once without one. Strict enforcement only starts after both.
Can I apply for ETIAS anywhere today?
No. Applications are not open, and any site offering to take an ETIAS application or fee today is not official. When the system launches, the only real application channels will be the official EU website and app.
Sources
- European Commission: ETIAS policy page
- etias.com: official 2026 launch target removed (July 16, 2026)
- AFAR: ETIAS delayed to 2027
- The Points Guy: ETIAS delay reporting
This guide is general information, not legal advice. ETIAS details, including the launch date and fee, are set by the EU and can change; confirm against the official EU pages before making plans that depend on them.