ETIAS: Europe's New Travel Authorisation
From the last quarter of 2026, visa-exempt visitors — including US, UK, Canadian and Australian passport holders — will need a €20 ETIAS authorisation to make short trips to 30 European countries. Check below whether you need it, what it will cost you, and how to apply on the official site. Free. No signup.
How to Apply for ETIAS
Once the system is live in Q4 2026, the whole process is online and usually takes only a few minutes. There are three steps.
Fill in the form
On the official ETIAS website or app, enter your passport details and answer some background and security questions. Have your passport and a payment card ready.
Pay €20
Pay the €20 fee by card. Applicants under 18 or over 70 pay nothing but still must apply. You pay once per authorisation, not per trip.
Get your decision
Most approvals arrive within minutes, and you'll normally hear within 96 hours. If you're asked for extra information it can take up to 30 days — so apply before you book.
Travel
Your ETIAS is linked electronically to your passport — there's nothing to print. Carry the same passport you applied with, and stay within 90 days in any 180.
What ETIAS Is — and What It Isn't
ETIAS stands for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. It is a pre-travel authorisation that visa-exempt visitors will need to enter 30 European countries for short stays. It is often compared to the United States' ESTA: an online security pre-screening that is checked before you travel, linked to your passport. It is not a visa, and it does not give you the right to live, work or study in Europe.
How much ETIAS costs
An ETIAS authorisation costs €20. That figure was confirmed by the European Commission on 17 July 2025, up from the €7 originally written into the 2018 regulation; the Commission said the increase reflects the system's full functionality, inflation, and alignment with similar schemes like the US ESTA and UK ETA. Travellers who are under 18 or over 70 at the time of application are exempt from the fee, though they still need a valid ETIAS. You pay once, by card, and the authorisation then lasts for years — not per trip.
Who needs ETIAS — and who doesn't
You need ETIAS if you hold a passport from one of the roughly 60 visa-exempt countries — this includes the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia — and you are visiting any of the 30 ETIAS countries for a short stay. In total around 1.4 billion people will be covered. You do not need ETIAS if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen; if you already hold a residence permit for a European country; or if your nationality requires a full Schengen visa — in that case you apply for the visa, which already includes the same security checks.
How long ETIAS lasts
An approved ETIAS is valid for three years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first — so if your passport runs out in two years, your ETIAS lasts two years. Within that time you can enter and leave as many times as you like, as long as you respect the short-stay limit of 90 days in any 180-day period. ETIAS does not add any days: it is permission to show up, not permission to stay longer. If you'll be hopping in and out of Europe, our Schengen 90/180 day calculator tracks exactly how many of your 90 days you've used.
Which 30 countries require ETIAS
ETIAS applies to 30 European countries — the 29 members of the Schengen area plus Cyprus, which is in the EU but not yet a full Schengen member and still requires ETIAS. Note two things: Ireland is not part of ETIAS (it is in the EU but outside Schengen), and a stay in Cyprus is counted separately from your 90 days in the other ETIAS countries.
- 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
- Switzerland
When ETIAS starts
ETIAS is expected to launch in the last quarter of 2026. It comes after the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), the digital border-registration system that became fully operational on 10 April 2026. The European Commission will confirm the exact ETIAS start date on its official website several months in advance. Importantly, the launch is followed by transitional and grace periods lasting at least 12 months, during which travellers who don't yet have an ETIAS but otherwise qualify should still be admitted — so there is a soft runway before it is strictly enforced. Until it goes live, no action is needed.
Beware of unofficial ETIAS websites
There is only one official ETIAS website and app, run by the European Union. Many copycat sites already advertise "ETIAS application" services and charge a mark-up on top of the €20 fee to fill in the form for you. They are not scams in the criminal sense, but you will pay more for something that is quick and free to prepare yourself. When the system opens, apply directly at travel-europe.europa.eu — the only site that submits applications directly to the EU.
Frequently Asked Questions
ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System) is a pre-travel authorisation that visa-exempt visitors will need to enter 30 European countries for short stays. It is not a visa: it is an online security pre-screening linked to your passport, similar to the US ESTA. It costs €20, is valid for three years, and lets you make multiple short visits of up to 90 days in any 180-day period.
ETIAS costs €20 per application. The European Commission confirmed this figure on 17 July 2025, raising it from the €7 originally set in 2018. Applicants who are under 18 or over 70 years old at the time of application are exempt from the fee but still need to hold a valid ETIAS authorisation. You pay once, by card, on the official website or app, and the authorisation then lasts up to three years.
ETIAS is expected to start in the last quarter of 2026. It follows the EU's Entry/Exit System (EES), which became fully operational on 10 April 2026. The exact ETIAS start date will be announced on the official EU website several months in advance. After launch there will be transitional and grace periods lasting at least 12 months, during which ETIAS will not yet be strictly enforced for first-time travellers. No action is needed from travellers until the system goes live.
You need ETIAS if you hold a passport from one of the roughly 60 visa-exempt countries — including the United States, United Kingdom, Canada and Australia — and you are visiting any of the 30 European countries that require it for a short stay. You do not need ETIAS if you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, if you already hold a residence permit for a European country, or if your nationality requires a full Schengen visa (you apply for the visa instead).
Yes. Since Brexit, British citizens are non-EU nationals, so from the Q4 2026 launch UK passport holders will need an ETIAS authorisation to visit the Schengen area and the other ETIAS countries for short trips. The exception is Ireland: under the Common Travel Area, British citizens do not need ETIAS to visit Ireland, which is not part of the ETIAS scheme. The €20 fee and three-year validity apply to UK travellers the same as to other visa-exempt nationals.
An ETIAS travel authorisation is valid for three years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. During that time you can enter and leave the ETIAS countries as many times as you like, as long as you respect the 90-days-in-any-180-day short-stay limit. When your ETIAS or your passport expires you simply apply again. ETIAS does not give you extra days of stay — the 90/180 limit is unchanged.
No. ETIAS is a travel authorisation, not a visa, and it does not grant the right to live, work or study in Europe. It is a lighter, online pre-screening for people who are already visa-exempt. Holding an approved ETIAS also does not guarantee entry: border officers still make the final decision when you arrive, and you must meet the normal conditions (purpose of trip, sufficient funds, return travel). To live in Europe you need a national long-stay visa or residence permit instead.
You apply online on the official ETIAS website or the official ETIAS app, using your passport and a payment card. Most applications are approved within minutes, and you will normally get a decision within 96 hours. If your application is flagged for extra checks you may be asked for more information and the process can take up to 30 days, so apply well before you book or travel. Only use the official EU site or app — many copycat websites charge extra to file the free-to-prepare form for you.
No. ETIAS only applies to short visits of up to 90 days by visa-exempt visitors. If you are relocating and you hold a national long-stay visa or a residence permit — for example a Portugal D7, a Spain non-lucrative visa or a France long-stay visa — that document already covers your entry, and ETIAS does not apply to you. ETIAS matters for the initial scouting trips you take before you have residency, and for short visits to other European countries afterwards.
Related Free Tools
Schengen 90/180 Day Calculator
ETIAS doesn't add days. Track exactly how many of your 90 days in any 180 you've used across the Schengen area, with a dated PDF report.
Visa Checklist Generator
Staying longer than 90 days? Build a personalised document checklist for the long-stay visa or residence permit you choose, with PDF download.