ETIAS for Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City

None of these four states are part of ETIAS. Their own nationals are exempt, and there is no separate travel authorisation for the micro-state itself. The catch: to reach any of them, you first cross into a Schengen country. Every road into Andorra runs through Spain or France. Monaco sits within France’s external border perimeter. San Marino and Vatican City are enclosed within Italy. ETIAS applies at those Schengen crossings, not at the micro-state border.

Why these states sit outside ETIAS

ETIAS is a pre-travel authorisation for the Schengen zone. Andorra, Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City are not Schengen members. EU Regulation 2018/1240, the law that created ETIAS, explicitly exempts nationals of Andorra, Monaco and San Marino and holders of a passport issued by the Vatican City State or the Holy See. The same groups are exempt from EES registration too.

That exemption runs one direction only. A British, American, Australian or other visa-exempt passport holder who visits any of these states still needs ETIAS for the Schengen crossing that brings them there. One authorisation covers the whole trip. Nothing extra is required at the micro-state itself.

Andorra: an external border on paper

Andorra is a mountain principality between Spain and France with no airport and no seaport, so every visitor arrives by road from one of the two. Its borders with them are, legally, Schengen external borders. Your EES biometric enrolment happens at the Schengen airport where you first land (Barcelona, Toulouse, or wherever you fly in).

In practice the road border works differently from an airport. In a September 2026 proposal, the European Commission said systematic checks cannot always be carried out at the Andorran border, so exits into Andorra often go unregistered in EES. The EU and Andorra initialled an agreement on 25 March 2026 that would lift border checks on persons between them altogether.

The practical consequence for trip planning: in principle, days spent outside Schengen do not count toward your 90-day Schengen allowance. But if your exit into Andorra is not recorded, EES treats you as still inside the Schengen area, and those days count in its calculation. Plan as if a few days in Andorra use up Schengen days, and do not rely on a side trip there to stretch your allowance.

Andorra draws a lot of UK visitors for skiing and duty-free shopping. The ETIAS check, when it eventually applies, will happen when you first enter Spain or France, not at the Andorran border post.

Monaco, San Marino and Vatican City: inside the perimeter

These three are in a different position. Monaco is not a Schengen member, but under two bilateral agreements with France its territory is within the external borders of the Schengen area, with French authorities carrying out the checks at Monaco’s own external border crossing points. So there is no Schengen external border between Nice and Monaco. San Marino is entirely surrounded by Italy, and the same Commission paper notes there are no border controls between the two. Vatican City is sovereign territory inside Rome, with no border crossing at all.

In practice: there is no EES exit event when you travel from France into Monaco, drive from the Adriatic coast into San Marino, or walk through a Vatican gate in Rome. Your Schengen entry was registered at your first port of arrival (Nice airport, Rome Fiumicino, or equivalent) and that is where biometric enrolment takes place. Because no exit is recorded, days in Monaco, San Marino or Vatican City count against your 90-day Schengen allowance just as days in France or Italy do.

What EES means for a trip that includes a micro-state

The Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026, records non-EU travellers’ crossings of Schengen external borders electronically. Biometrics are taken on first entry; later visits, while your file is still held (three years and a day after your last exit), move faster because your enrolment already exists in the system.

For trips that include a micro-state, the EES picture is straightforward. One enrolment at the Schengen port of entry covers the trip. A visit to Monaco or Vatican City creates no additional EES event. A side trip to Andorra may or may not register as a Schengen exit and re-entry, depending on whether you are checked at the border. Either way, your ETIAS authorisation and EES enrolment both remain valid on the return crossing into Spain or France.

What should you do now?

No action is required yet. Applications are not open. Travellers heading to Spain, France or Italy this year, whether or not the itinerary includes Andorra, Monaco or San Marino, need only a valid passport to cross into the Schengen zone. EES biometric enrolment happens automatically at the first external border crossing. When ETIAS does launch, one application will cover the whole trip, including any side visits to micro-states.

The EU has not announced a launch date; press reporting on EU planning points to 2027. The ETIAS status page carries the latest official position.