ETIAS launch date: where the EU timeline stands for 2026

The European Union is still pointing to the last quarter of 2026 for the start of ETIAS, the new travel authorisation that visa-exempt visitors will need for short stays in the Schengen area. The official ETIAS website says ETIAS is expected to follow EES in the last quarter of 2026, the revised timeline EU home affairs ministers endorsed on 5 March 2025. No exact day has been published yet, and the EU has said it will confirm one several months ahead of time.

What has actually been decided

Two things are firm. First, ETIAS comes after the Entry/Exit System (EES), the biometric border system the EU scheduled to go first. EES reached full operation on 10 April 2026, so that step is done. Second, ETIAS will not be compulsory the moment it launches.

The phased start is written into Article 83 of the ETIAS Regulation. For the first six months after launch, having ETIAS is optional. After that it becomes a requirement, but a further six-month grace period lets travellers who do not yet have one cross on their first entry, provided they meet the other entry conditions. The Commission can extend both periods. In practice that means a soft launch in late 2026, ETIAS required from 2027, and the grace period ending in late 2027 at the earliest.

Why the date keeps shifting

ETIAS has been rescheduled several times, and its timetable has been set in step with EES. The March 2025 revision put EES first, in October 2025, with ETIAS to follow. Now that EES is live, that dependency is out of the way, but “last quarter of 2026” is still a window rather than a fixed date, so treat any site quoting an exact launch day with caution.

What this means for you right now

• There is nothing to apply for yet. The official system is not open. Any website taking ETIAS “applications” today is not legitimate. See our guide to ETIAS scams.
• Check whether you will even need it. It depends on your nationality and where you are going. Use the do I need ETIAS check.
• Travel before launch is unaffected. Until ETIAS is live, visa-exempt travellers enter as they do today (subject to EES checks at the border).

We track the official position on our ETIAS status page and update it when the EU moves. If you would rather not check back, we will send one email the day applications open.