The EU Commission has once again postponed the introduction of an electronic entry system - similar to the US ESTA. The new launch date is May 2025. Citizens from over 60 visa-free countries will then have to apply for a travel authorization in the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) before traveling to any of the 30 European countries. Originally the ETIAS rollout was scheduled for as early as 2021.
With a valid ETIAS travel authorization, travelers can enter as many times as they want for short-term stays - normally for up to 90 days within a 180-day period. Travelers who do not have a valid travel authorization will not be allowed to board their flight, bus, ferry or ship.
When a visa-exempt traveler arrives at a border of one of the 30 European countries for which ETIAS is mandatory, border officials electronically scan the data on his or her travel document and then trigger a query to ETIAS. If the traveler has a valid travel authorization, he or she can cross the border. This applies in particular to travelers from North America, Japan and Australia, as well as visa-free countries in South America (see also country list below).
The application form can be completed either through the official ETIAS website or the ETIAS mobile application. Information on whether the application has been approved will then be sent by email. Applying for the ETIAS travel authorization costs seven euros. The ETIAS travel authorization is linked to the traveler's passport and is valid for up to three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first. Those who obtain a new passport must apply for a new ETIAS travel authorization.
It is anticipated that most applications (about 97 percent) will be automatically approved within a few minutes. The remaining three percent will be manually reviewed by the ETIAS Central Office and national offices.
Your ETIAS check-list
Apply for an ETIAS travel authorisation well in advance
Make sure your passport details correspond to those in your ETIAS authorisation
Make sure your ETIAS travel authorisation is still valid
Check how long you can stay in the European countries requiring ETIASMake sure your passport is valid for three months after your intended departure from the
European countries requiring ETIAS
Citizens of these countries will need ETIAS permits (
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