--- title: "Europe's ETIAS Travel Permit Will Not Start This Year: 7 Things to Know Before You Fly" description: ETIAS will not launch in 2026. The €20 permit has no start date, the EES border system is live, and only one official website exists. What to do now. author: Dr Marina Nani (Editor-in-Chief) date: 2026-10-31T18:41:39.741Z updated: 2026-10-31T18:52:58.326Z canonical: https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/etias-delayed-europe-travel-permit image: https://cdn.nanimediahouse.com/pexels-17294234.webp categories: Smart Travel content_type: Guide region: Europe publication: Rich Travel Magazine schema_type: Article about: - type: Organization name: European Union --- If you are planning [Christmas in Vienna](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/luxury-destinations-before-christmas-2026) or a [spring week in Florence](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/how-to-stress-less-when-in-italy), you can book without filling in one extra form. ETIAS, the €20 travel permit Europe has promised for nearly a decade, will not start in 2026. The European Union has promised several months' notice before the system goes live. No date has been announced, so a launch before the new year is no longer possible. In July, the last-quarter-of-2026 target disappeared from the official ETIAS website, after the Financial Times reported that eu-LISA, the EU agency building the system, considered a 2026 start no longer feasible. Reporting since then points to 2027, with no confirmed date. The border itself has changed. Since 10th April 2026, every external Schengen border has run the Entry/Exit System (EES), which records your fingerprints and a photograph of your face and has replaced the passport stamp. The summer rollout brought long queues at passport control in many European airports, and those problems are widely blamed for pushing ETIAS back. ## You need no ETIAS for any trip you book now Until the system opens, there is nothing to apply for and nothing to pay. You enter the 30 ETIAS countries exactly as you do today. Those 30 are the 29 Schengen countries plus Cyprus, and Ireland is not part of the scheme. Check that your passport was issued within the last ten years and stays valid for at least three months after the day you plan to leave. ## Ignore any website selling ETIAS today More than 60 unofficial websites already offer ETIAS applications, even though the system cannot accept a single one. The only official address is [travel-europe.europa.eu/etias](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias). Any other site that takes your card details today is charging you for a document that does not exist. ## Allow extra time for your first fingerprint scan The EES registers you the first time you cross into the Schengen area after 10th April 2026. A border officer or a self-service kiosk scans your passport, takes your fingerprints and photographs your face. Later crossings are faster, as the system already holds your record. Build extra time into connections, particularly at large airports over Christmas and New Year. ## The 90-day rule is now counted for you The limit has not changed: you can stay 90 days in any 180-day period across the Schengen area. The difference is that the EES now counts every day automatically, so an overstay that once slipped past a busy border desk shows up at once. In the system's first six months, border officers refused entry to more than 24,000 people for reasons such as expired documents or a stay they could not justify. If you split long stays between Europe and home, keep your own count of days. ## When ETIAS opens, apply before you book The permit will cost €20 for adults, up from the €7 first planned. If you are under 18 or over 70, you will pay nothing but still need to apply. Each approval will last three years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first, and a new passport will need a new ETIAS. Most applications will be decided within minutes, while some can take up to 30 days if officials request more information or an interview. The EU's own advice is to apply before you buy a ticket or book a hotel. ## You will have about a year of breathing space after launch For at least six months after ETIAS starts, you will still be let in without one, provided you meet every other entry condition. A grace period of at least six more months follows, during which only your first trip after the transition can be made without a permit. After that, airlines and ferry companies will check your ETIAS within 48 hours of departure and refuse to board you without one. ## Watch one website for the start date The start date will appear first on [travel-europe.europa.eu/etias](https://travel-europe.europa.eu/etias), months ahead of launch. Until then, treat any firm date you read elsewhere as speculation. Rich Travel will report the date the day it is published. This winter, a valid passport and some patience at passport control are all you need for Europe. Strasbourg, Prague and Kraków open their Christmas markets from late November, and the [white truffle fair in Alba](https://richtravelmagazine.com/article/a-taste-of-sustainable-tourism-truffle-hunting-tours-in-italy) runs until 6th December.