General information only, not legal or immigration advice. Immigration and border rules change frequently — check the official EU sources linked here before making decisions, and consult a qualified adviser for anything case-specific. Verified as at 4 August 2026.

If you've searched for "ETIAS" recently, you've probably noticed conflicting information: some pages say it launches in late 2026, others mention a fee, and plenty of ads claim you can "apply now." Here is the one fact that matters most: as of 4 August 2026, ETIAS is not operational, no applications are being accepted anywhere, and the European Commission has not announced a launch date. This guide lays out exactly what is confirmed, what is still proposed or expected, and how to protect yourself from fraudulent websites in the meantime.

The Current Status, Stated Plainly

A direct, non-cached check of the European Commission's own ETIAS page on 4 August 2026 shows no launch date at all. The previously published "last quarter of 2026" wording has been removed from that page. The current official wording reads:

"ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point. The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch." — European Commission, ETIAS

The same wording is repeated on the official traveller-facing site (travel-europe.europa.eu/en/etias).

Older Statements That Are Still Live Online — and Why They're Confusing

Two other official-ish sources are still publicly visible and cause most of the confusion:

  • EU news article, 13 April 2025 — states ETIAS is "expected to follow in the last quarter of 2026," with transitional plus grace periods lasting "at least 12 months," following JHA Council endorsement of 5 March 2025. Status: still online, but superseded by the Commission's current no-date wording.
  • UK Government EES guidance page — states "From Autumn 2026, the EU is expected to start operations of the new European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)" and that no traveller action is required. Status: an expectation stated by a national government, not an EU confirmation.

The correct way to describe this: the European Commission's own live ETIAS pages give no date whatsoever. A 2025 EU news item and the UK Government both still reference an autumn/Q4 2026 expectation, but there is no confirmed launch date anywhere in official sources as of 4 August 2026.

On 2027 rumours: some travel-industry commentary sites report that a 2026 launch is no longer feasible and that eu-LISA has effectively pushed operations toward 2027, in some cases attributing this to press reporting linked to the Financial Times. No Commission announcement confirming a 2027 date or any other postponement was found during verification for this article. If you encounter a stated 2027 launch date online, treat it as unconfirmed media reporting, not as a decision the EU has made public.

How ETIAS Will Work Once It Launches

Even though it isn't live, the mechanics of how ETIAS is designed to function are already published and worth understanding in advance:

  • The travel authorisation is linked to your passport and is valid for up to 3 years, or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. You must travel using the same document you applied with.
  • It permits stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period — the same rhythm as the standard Schengen short-stay allowance. Stays in Cyprus are counted separately.
  • ETIAS does not guarantee entry. Standard border checks still apply on arrival, regardless of whether you hold a valid authorisation.
  • Most applications are expected to be processed within minutes. Where more review is needed, a decision should follow within 4 days, extendable to 14 days if additional documents are requested, or up to 30 days if an interview is required.

The legal basis is Regulation (EU) 2018/1240, adopted 12 September 2018 and in force from 9 October 2018.

Transitional and Grace Periods, Once ETIAS Does Launch

The regulation itself (Article 83) builds in a soft-launch approach:

  • Transitional period — 6 months from the start of operations, extendable by up to a further 6 months, renewable once. ETIAS use is optional, and Member States must distribute a common information leaflet.
  • Grace period — 6 months following the transitional period, extendable by up to a further 6 months. ETIAS is technically required, but border authorities may exceptionally admit first-time-since-transition travellers without it.

This structure means that even once a launch date is announced, there will not be an overnight hard requirement — expect a phased tightening over roughly a year, assuming no further extensions.

The Fee: What's Confirmed and What's Still in Process

  • New fee level — EUR 20 (up from EUR 7).
  • Legal status of the new fee — undergoing a two-month scrutiny period by the Council and European Parliament (renewable once); will take effect only once ETIAS is operational.
  • Instrument setting the new fee — Commission Delegated Regulation C(2025) 4644 final of 16 July 2025, amending Article 18(1) of Regulation 2018/1240.
  • Predecessor fee-review mechanism — Delegated Regulation (EU) 2024/2511 of 2 May 2024.
  • Original legal text — still reads "EUR 7" in the base Regulation.

Important caveat: the Commission's own traveller-facing "What is ETIAS" page still displays the old EUR 7 figure at the time of writing. The UK Government's page already quotes the new "20 Euro fee." Neither figure should be presented as definitively "the" current fee without noting that the EUR 20 rate is still going through EU legislative scrutiny and has not yet taken legal effect, because ETIAS itself is not operational.

A French government source (not an EU institutional page, so treat as secondary) also states that under-18s, over-70s, and family members of EU citizens or other free-movement beneficiaries will not pay the fee at all, that around 30 European countries will be covered, and that authorisations will allow multiple entries over 3 years.

Beware of ETIAS Scams

This is the section every traveller should read closely, because the gap between "not yet operational" and "widespread awareness" is exactly the environment scammers exploit. Frontex — the EU's border and coast guard agency — issued a news release warning specifically about this. Although the release is dated 22 June 2024, its substance about fraud risk remains directly relevant:

  • Frontex identified more than 100 unofficial websites offering ETIAS-related information or purported application services. Some are legitimate businesses; others "may be less trustworthy."
  • François Laruelle, Director of the ETIAS Central Unit Division at Frontex, said: "We are aware of several sites that claim to already accept ETIAS applications. Travellers should be very cautious about those websites, as it is not currently possible to apply for an official ETIAS travel authorisation since the system is not operational yet."
  • Risks include identity theft, inflated or extortionate fees, data-protection concerns, and simply wrong information about what ETIAS covers and how it works.
  • Common tactics: mimicking the layout of official government sites, registering official-sounding domain names, and reusing copyrighted EU materials without authorisation.
  • The only official ETIAS website is europa.eu/etias.
  • Once the system is live, legitimate commercial intermediaries will be permitted to apply on a traveller's behalf — but that permission does not exist yet.

Note on the release's own outdated language: the same 2024 Frontex release mentions rules changing "in the first half of 2025" and refers to the system launching "next year" — both statements are now superseded and should not be repeated as current. Cite the fraud-risk substance and the quote, not the timeline, from that release.

"No action is required from travellers at this point… Any website selling ETIAS at this time is doing so fraudulently, and you should only apply on the official EU website when able to." — UK Government EES guidance

Scale of the Eventual Rollout

For context on why this matters at a system-wide level, Frontex's 2024 figures put the eventual scope at roughly 1.4 billion potential travellers from around 60 visa-free countries, across 30 European countries, with the ETIAS Central Unit — hosted by Frontex — operating 24 hours a day. Treat these as the most recent verified scale figures rather than a precise current count, since they date to 2024.

What To Do Right Now

  • Do not apply for ETIAS anywhere. There is nowhere to legitimately apply yet. No applications are being collected.
  • Ignore any site that claims to process ETIAS applications today. By definition, it cannot be legitimate, per Frontex and the UK Government.
  • Bookmark the official Commission ETIAS page, not a third-party summary, and check it periodically — the EU has committed to giving several months' notice before launch.
  • When ETIAS does launch, expect a transitional period where it's optional, so don't expect an overnight hard cutover.
  • Budget mentally for a EUR 20 fee, while understanding that figure is not yet legally in force and some official pages still show the old EUR 7 rate.

Key Takeaways

  • ETIAS is not operational as of 4 August 2026, and the Commission has given no launch date.
  • Autumn/Q4 2026 references that persist online are expectations from older sources, not current confirmations.
  • A 2027 launch is reported by some media/commentary sites but is not officially confirmed.
  • The EUR 20 fee is set but not yet legally in effect.
  • Any website charging for ETIAS applications today is not legitimate.