ETIAS approval will be required for 30 European countries, but no start date is set
Visa-free visitors to the Schengen area and Cyprus will need an ETIAS approval once it starts. Sources differ on whether the fee is €7 or €20, and the start date is open.
Visa-free visitors to the Schengen area and Cyprus will need a travel approval before they set off once the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, known as ETIAS, starts. The Commission says the system covers visa-free travellers visiting 30 European countries for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
ETIAS is not yet in operation. The Commission says no applications are being collected at this point and that it will announce the start date several months before launch. The fee and the timing are reported differently across sources, as set out below. The sections that follow cover who must apply, what the fee costs, how long an approval lasts, what it checks, how it differs from the Entry/Exit System, and what remains open.
Who must apply for an ETIAS approval
ETIAS applies to visa-free travellers, according to the Commission, which describes it as a new travel requirement for them. Its notice describes them as people visiting the 30 European countries for short stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period.
Afar, a travel publication, says U.S. citizens and travellers from 60 other countries must apply before they arrive. It lists the destinations as the 29 Schengen member states plus Cyprus. Together, those destinations make up the 30 countries in the Commission's count. For these travellers, the application is completed before they reach the border.
Wikipedia adds detail on eligibility. Dual nationals of an EU or Schengen country and a visa-exempt country are not eligible and must travel on their EU or Schengen passport. Wikipedia says ETIAS is not required from nationals of Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City. Wikipedia also says Ireland is the only EU member state that keeps its own visa policy and does not plan to require ETIAS.
The legal basis is Regulation (EU) 2018/1240, which was adopted on 12 September 2018 and entered into force on 9 October 2018. The Commission first introduced the idea in April 2016 and adopted the proposal on 16 November 2016.
What the fee costs, and who is exempt
The Commission says the fee has been set at €20, up from €7, and that the increase reflects inflation since 2018 and new technical features. The Commission adds that the change is under a two-month review by the Council and the European Parliament, which can be renewed once. Under that notice, the €20 figure takes effect only once ETIAS is operational.
Wikipedia gives the fee as €20 and says the Commission adjusted the price in July 2025. Afar gives the fee as €7, about US$8, and says it is non-refundable. The Commission ties the higher amount to the launch.
Wikipedia says the fee applies to travellers aged 18 to 70. Afar says travellers under 18 or over 70 do not pay the fee but still need an approval. For those groups, the registration step applies without the charge.
How applications are checked and how long an approval lasts
Applicants will apply online. The Commission says applications can be made through an official website or mobile app once the system is live. The system is developed by eu-LISA, the EU agency for large-scale IT systems.
Wikipedia gives a validity of three years for an authorisation, or until the travel document expires if that comes first. It lists the approval as allowing multiple entries over that period.
The Commission says ETIAS checks for security risks, irregular migration and high epidemic risk posed by travellers before they begin their journey. Those are the three grounds the notice names.
Wikipedia says each application is cross-checked against the Schengen Information System, the Visa Information System, Eurodac, Europol and Interpol databases, and ECRIS-TCN. It says the system is expected to process the vast majority of applications automatically, though in some limited cases it may take up to 30 days. It also states that the approval is not a visa and that final admission rests with national border officers.
At the border, the Commission says, guards check the authorisation together with travel documents. The approval therefore works alongside a passport rather than replacing one.
Afar describes a transition once the system is active. It says travellers are asked to apply during a transitional period of at least six months, and they are not refused entry without an approval during that time. A six-month grace period follows, during which Afar says first-time visitors may enter without one as long as they meet border control entry requirements.
“In short, ETIAS is checked before a traveller leaves, while the Entry/Exit System records what happens at the border.”
How it differs from the Entry/Exit System
The two systems do different jobs. According to the Commission, the Entry/Exit System registers non-EU nationals on short stays each time they cross an external border of its 29 participating countries.
EES records name and travel document details, biometric data in the form of fingerprints and facial images, dates and places of entry and exit, and refusals of entry. The Commission says it replaces passport stamping and automatically flags travellers who overstay their authorised stay.
In short, ETIAS is checked before a traveller leaves, while the Entry/Exit System records what happens at the border.
The rollout ran in stages. The Commission says it proposed a progressive start on 4 December 2024. Regulation (EU) 2025/1534 was adopted on 18 July 2025 and entered into force on 26 July 2025. On 30 July 2025 the Commission set 12 October 2025 as the launch date for the progressive start, and the system became fully operational on 10 April 2026.
Why the start date is still open
Afar, in an article updated in March 2026, said ETIAS was slated to launch later in 2026 but gave no specific date, and noted that the launch has already been delayed numerous times. Wikipedia lists earlier target dates, beginning with January 2021 and followed by 2022, March 2023, November 2023 and 2025. It says the target then moved to the final quarter of 2026 and, after the Entry/Exit System caused border strain in the first half of 2026, to 2027. Wikipedia gives 2027 as the expected implementation year. The Commission gives no date and says it will announce one several months before launch.
The Commission ties the higher fee to the launch, so the start date also determines when €20 would apply. Until a date is announced, the date from which the €20 fee applies is also not set.
