What is ETIAS?

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ETIAS is the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It is a pre travel check for people who can already enter Europe without a visa. If you hold a British, American, Canadian, Australian or Japanese passport, among many others, you will need one before you travel to most of Europe.

It is not a visa. You apply online, you are not asked for biometrics, and you do not visit a consulate.

ETIAS is not yet running. The European Commission expects it to start in the last quarter of 2026, and no date has been confirmed. You cannot apply yet, and any website inviting you to apply today is not the official one.

This guide covers what ETIAS is, who needs one, what it costs, how long it lasts and what it does not do. Fees and country lists are correct as at September 2026, and the sources are listed at the end.

What ETIAS is

ETIAS is an authorisation linked to your passport. You apply before you travel, you pay a fee, and the system checks you against European security and migration databases.

It applies only to people who are already visa free. If your nationality needs a Schengen visa today, ETIAS does not change that and you carry on applying for a visa.

The authorisation covers short stays. You can be in the area for up to 90 days in any 180 day period. It does not allow you to work or study.

Two things follow from that, and both matter.

ETIAS does not extend how long you can stay. The 90 day limit is the same one that applies now. ETIAS simply adds a check before you set off.

ETIAS does not guarantee entry. A border officer still decides whether to let you in, and can refuse you even with a valid authorisation.

Who needs one

You need ETIAS if two things are true. Your nationality can enter the European area for short stays without a visa. And you are travelling to one of the 30 countries listed below.

British passport holders are in that group. So are nationals of the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, South Korea, Singapore, Brazil, Mexico and around 50 other countries.

Age makes no difference to whether you need one. Everyone travelling visa free needs an authorisation, including children and older travellers. Age affects the fee, not the requirement.

Who does not need one

You do not need ETIAS if you are a citizen of one of the 30 countries, or of any other EU country. Irish citizens are EU citizens, so ETIAS does not apply to them.

You do not need it if you hold a residence permit or a long stay visa for one of the countries. Your permit governs your entry instead. A British citizen living in Spain on a residence card is in this position.

You do not need it if your nationality requires a Schengen visa. You apply for the visa as you do now.

If you hold two passports, you travel on one of them. Whether you need ETIAS depends on the passport you present.

Which countries require it

Thirty European countries are covered. That is the 29 Schengen states plus Cyprus.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czechia, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland.

Ireland is not on the list. Ireland is in the European Union but not in the Schengen area, and it runs its own entry rules. A trip to Dublin needs no ETIAS.

One authorisation covers all thirty. You do not apply separately for each country you visit.

What it costs

The fee is 20 euro per application, as at September 2026.

That figure is recent. The original fee set in 2018 was 7 euro. The European Commission adopted the increase on 16 July 2025, and it takes effect when ETIAS becomes operational. Older guidance quoting 7 euro predates the change.

Three groups pay nothing. Applicants who are under 18 or over 70 at the time of applying are exempt from the fee. So are family members of EU citizens, and family members of non EU nationals who hold free movement rights in the European Union.

Being exempt from the fee is not the same as being exempt from ETIAS. A 12 year old still needs an authorisation. It is free.

How long it lasts

An authorisation is valid for three years, or until the passport used in the application expires, whichever comes first.

That second condition matters at renewal. ETIAS is tied to one passport. If you renew your passport, the authorisation attached to the old one ends, and you apply again with the new document. A passport with eight months left will give you an ETIAS with eight months on it, not three years.

If you are due to renew soon, renewing first and applying afterwards gives you the full three years.

Within the validity period you can enter as often as you like, subject to the 90 days in 180 rule.

How the 90 days in 180 rule works

ETIAS does not change this limit, but it is the limit the authorisation sits inside, so it is worth being clear about.

The window is rolling, not fixed. There is no annual reset in January. On any day you are in the area, count back 180 days from that date. Across that period you must not have been present for more than 90 days in total.

Both your arrival day and your departure day count as days of presence, even if you land late at night or leave first thing.

Days in different countries add together. A fortnight in France, a week in Spain and four days in Germany is 25 days against one allowance, because the thirty countries share it.

Going over the limit is an overstay. It can lead to a refusal of entry on a later trip and, depending on the country and the length of the overstay, a formal entry ban.

If you need longer than 90 days, ETIAS is not the route. You need a national long stay visa or a residence permit from the specific country you want to be in.

What you are asked for

The application asks for personal details, passport details, your occupation, and questions on travel history and criminal history.

You are not asked for medical information. You are not asked to attend a consulate or give fingerprints.

How long a decision takes

The regulation expects most authorisations to be issued within minutes.

A smaller number take longer. If the system flags something, you may be asked for further information or documents. In exceptional cases, as a last resort, you may be invited to an interview. The regulation anticipates fewer than 0.1 per cent of applicants reaching that stage.

Because a minority of applications take longer, apply before you book where you can, and certainly well before you travel. An authorisation is not something to arrange at the airport.

If your application is refused

A refusal is notified with reasons, and there is a right of appeal in the country that made the decision.

There is one point worth understanding. If you are refused ETIAS, you cannot apply for a Schengen visa instead. The two systems cover different groups of travellers, and a visa exempt national does not become eligible for a visa by being refused an authorisation.

At the border

ETIAS gets you to the border. What happens there is governed by a separate system.

The Entry/Exit System, or EES, records entries and exits electronically for non EU nationals, replacing passport stamps. It began operating in October 2025 and was introduced in stages.

On your first crossing under EES you give a facial image and fingerprints, and these are held in a file linked to your passport. On later crossings the check is faster because the record already exists.

EES is what counts your days. The 90 in 180 calculation stops depending on an officer reading stamps and becomes an automatic calculation from your recorded entries and exits.

The two systems work together. ETIAS is the permission that lets you set off. EES is the record of your movements once you arrive.

ETIAS is not the UK ETA

These two schemes are easy to confuse because they mirror each other, and the fees look almost identical.

ETIAS is run by the European Union. It applies to visa free travellers going to the thirty European countries. The fee is 20 euro and an authorisation lasts three years or until your passport expires.

The UK Electronic Travel Authorisation is run by the United Kingdom. It applies to visitors coming to the UK who do not hold a visa or existing UK immigration status. It costs 20 pounds and covers multiple journeys over two years, or until the passport expires. Most applicants get an automatic decision in minutes through the UK ETA app, and the Home Office advises applying at least three working days before travel.

British and Irish citizens, including dual citizens, do not need a UK ETA. They are the people most likely to need ETIAS.

So the direction of travel decides which one applies. A British citizen flying to Rome will need ETIAS. A German citizen flying to London needs a UK ETA. Someone doing both needs both, and they are separate applications to separate governments.

Like ETIAS, a UK ETA is a permission to travel rather than a guarantee of entry.

Changing planes in Europe

ETIAS applies when you cross the external border into the thirty countries for a short stay.

If your connection keeps you airside, you do not cross that border. You stay in the international area and continue your journey. On the same logic, the UK does not require an ETA from passengers transiting Heathrow or Manchester without passing through passport control.

The moment you clear immigration, the position changes. Collecting bags, moving between terminals that are not connected, changing airport or staying overnight all put you across the border, and the ordinary short stay rules apply.

Airport transit visa requirements are a separate matter and affect some nationalities regardless. Our transit visa guide sets out how the main hubs handle it.

Travelling before ETIAS starts

Nothing changes until the system launches. As at September 2026 applications are not open, and travel to the thirty countries continues under the current rules.

If you are booking a trip for late 2026 or 2027, watch for the start date rather than trying to prepare now. There is nothing to apply for.

Once ETIAS starts, carriers check it. An airline, ferry operator or coach company will be able to confirm that a visa free passenger holds a valid authorisation before boarding, and can refuse to carry someone who does not. That check happens before you reach the border, so the practical deadline is departure, not arrival.

Only one official website

There is one official ETIAS website: travel-europe.europa.eu/etias.

A large number of commercial sites already offer ETIAS applications, some designed to resemble official pages. ABTA has counted more than 60 of them. They charge a fee on top of the official one, and some are collecting passport details for a service that does not yet exist.

Two checks help. The official site sits on a europa.eu address. And ETIAS is not open for applications, so any site accepting one today is not processing anything.

Frequently asked questions

Is ETIAS a visa?

No. It is a travel authorisation for people who are already visa free. There is no consulate appointment and no biometric appointment.

Can I apply now?

No. Applications are not open. The Commission expects the system to start in the last quarter of 2026.

Does ETIAS let me stay longer than 90 days?

No. The limit is unchanged at 90 days in any 180 day period. A longer stay needs a national visa or residence permit from the country concerned.

I have a valid ETIAS. Can I still be refused entry?

Yes. The authorisation lets you travel to the border. A border officer decides whether you enter.

I am getting a new passport. What happens to my ETIAS?

It ends with the old passport. Apply again using the new one. If a renewal is due soon, renew first so the new authorisation runs a full three years.

Do my children need one?

Yes. Everyone travelling visa free needs an authorisation regardless of age. Applicants under 18 do not pay the fee.

Do I need ETIAS for Ireland?

No. Ireland is outside the Schengen area and is not one of the thirty countries.

I have an ETIAS. Do I also need a UK ETA?

Only if you are travelling to the UK and are not a British or Irish citizen. They are separate schemes run by different governments.

Related guides

Official sources

ETIAS is run by the European Union. Check the official site before applying, and ignore any other site that offers to apply on your behalf.