Do children need ETIAS? Yes, but it's free for under-18s

Children from visa-exempt countries need their own ETIAS authorisation to enter Europe, regardless of age. The rule applies from birth. There is no lower age limit, no family group exemption, and no way for an infant to share a parent’s authorisation. What differs from the adult process is the cost: under-18s pay nothing. The €20 fee is waived automatically for any applicant who is under 18 on the day they submit. No special form, no exemption to claim. The system reads the date of birth on the child’s passport and skips the payment step.

How does a parent apply on behalf of a child?

The application is completed online through the official EU ETIAS portal or app. Minors cannot apply in their own name. A parent or legal guardian must submit the form, answer the standard background questions, and receive the decision by email. The “guardian” category means someone with legal authority over the child, not simply an adult travelling alongside them. An uncle taking a niece on holiday cannot apply unless he holds formal legal guardianship. The authorisation that comes back is linked to the child’s specific passport.

For most families the process is straightforward. One parent applies on behalf of each child using the child’s passport details. The questions cover the same background areas as an adult application: criminal history, previous Schengen entry history, travel document information, and the intended country of first entry. For a young child or infant, most sections are answered “not applicable.”

Does every child in a family need a separate application?

Yes. Every person travelling, from the youngest infant to the oldest adult, needs an individual ETIAS tied to their own passport. A family of four needs four separate authorisations. The ETIAS portal is expected to allow a single account holder to manage applications for multiple people, which should make the process manageable for families, but each authorisation is issued per person, per passport.

Small children and infants are not exempt. A four-year-old Australian visiting Spain for a summer holiday needs ETIAS just as much as their parents do. The fee waiver makes the application free, but it does not remove the requirement. Carriers will check ETIAS status before boarding, so a missing authorisation for any one member of the group is a practical problem at the departure gate.

Passport expiry matters more for children than adults

ETIAS is valid for three years from the date of issue, or until the passport used for the application expires, whichever comes first. That cut-off matters more for children than for most adults because children’s passports often carry shorter validity periods.

UK passports issued to children under 16 run for five years. US passports for children under 16 are also valid for five years. A child whose passport has two years left will receive an ETIAS covering exactly those two years. When the passport is renewed, a new ETIAS application is needed. It is still free for under-18s, but families should note that a child may need to reapply before every major trip if they are on a shorter-validity document.

One practical point: the ETIAS age check is based on the date of application, not the date of travel. A child who is 17 when they apply and turns 18 before they travel has an ETIAS that was correctly issued free. No issue arises. If a young person turns 18 after their first ETIAS expires and needs to reapply, they will pay the adult fee of €20 for any subsequent authorisation.

What to check before ETIAS applications open

Applications are not yet open. No site or app is legitimately processing ETIAS right now. Any service claiming to take children’s ETIAS applications today is fraudulent. The ETIAS scams guide explains how to spot them.

What families can usefully do now is check the remaining validity on each child’s passport. If a passport expires within the next two or three years, it may be worth renewing before applying for ETIAS so that the authorisation covers the full three-year window. The ETIAS passport expiry guide explains the rules in detail, including the Schengen requirement that the travel document be valid for at least three months beyond the planned departure date.

ETIAS itself is expected in 2027. The EU has confirmed it will give several months’ advance notice on the official ETIAS website before the portal opens. For the latest position on timing, the ETIAS status page tracks the current launch window and what is confirmed so far. No action is required yet. Applications are not open.