Do UK Youth Experience Scheme participants need ETIAS?

If the UK-EU Youth Experience Scheme goes ahead, participants will hold a long-stay permit issued by an EU member state, not a short-stay visitor visa. That distinction matters for ETIAS: EU Regulation 2018/1240, the law that created ETIAS, explicitly exempts holders of long-stay visas and residence permits from needing an ETIAS authorisation. So when ETIAS eventually launches, a UK national living in Barcelona on a YES permit would not need one for their time in Spain, or for short trips elsewhere in the Schengen Area. But the scheme is not yet signed, and ETIAS is not yet live either, so there is quite a bit of “yet” in that sentence.

What the Youth Experience Scheme involves

At their first summit, in May 2025, the UK and EU agreed they should work towards a balanced youth experience scheme on terms to be mutually agreed. It would be similar in spirit to the youth mobility schemes the UK already runs with 13 non-EU countries and territories, including Australia, Canada and Japan. According to a March 2026 European Parliament Research Service briefing, the envisaged scheme would cover people aged 18 to 30, with stays of up to two to four years, and would facilitate work, study, au-pairing, volunteering and travel. Young EU nationals would get the same access to the UK.

Negotiations between the Commission and the UK government are still running. The common understanding says the number of participants should be acceptable to both sides, possibly including a cap, and the EU has tried to secure domestic-level tuition fees for European students in the UK, which the UK government and universities have opposed. Both sides have said they want to conclude the talks by the next EU-UK summit, expected in 2026. But nothing is agreed yet, and the scheme is not taking applications.

Why the ETIAS exemption matters for YES participants

ETIAS is designed for short-stay visitors. Article 2(2) of Regulation 2018/1240 lists who it does not apply to, and holders of residence permits and national long-stay visas are on that list. A YES participant living in France on a national long-stay visa or permit falls into that category. They are not a tourist popping over for a two-week holiday; they are a legal resident of a Schengen member state.

That exemption carries over to short-stay travel within Schengen, too. A residence permit from one Schengen country lets you move freely to other Schengen countries for short visits. You would not need a separate ETIAS for a long weekend in Amsterdam or a work trip to Berlin.

The same applies to trips home to the UK and back. A visitor on a UK passport will need a valid ETIAS each time they enter once it is live. A YES participant re-entering on their residence permit or long-stay visa would not.

EES and permit holders

The Entry/Exit System, fully operational since 10 April 2026, registers non-EU nationals coming for a short stay. The EU’s own list of who EES does not apply to includes holders of residence permits and long-stay visas. So a YES participant flying back into Paris on a French permit after visiting family in London would show the permit at passport control rather than going through EES registration.

The catch is timing. Any trip you make to Schengen as an ordinary visitor, before your permit or long-stay visa is issued, is a short stay and is registered in EES like anyone else’s. The EES vs ETIAS guide explains how the two systems work alongside each other.

What about the Schengen 90-day rule?

Here is where it gets more nuanced. The 90-day Schengen allowance applies to short-stay visitors. Once you hold a residence permit from a Schengen country, the Schengen Borders Code says time spent under that permit does not count towards the 90 days. In practice, a YES participant living in Berlin could spend as long as they like in Germany (within the terms of their permit), and then take a two-week holiday in Greece, without those German days reducing the time available in Greece.

Time in OTHER Schengen countries is a different matter. Under Article 21 of the Schengen Convention, a residence permit or long-stay visa from one member state lets you move to the others for up to 90 days in any 180-day period. The short version for most YES participants: your permit covers your host country, and trips elsewhere in Schengen still run on a 90/180 clock. If you are planning extended stays in more than one country, get proper legal advice specific to your situation.

What to watch for and when

Two things need to happen before any of this becomes concrete. The UK and EU need to finalise and sign the YES agreement, which both sides have said they want to conclude by the next summit. And ETIAS needs to launch. No action is required yet. Applications are not open. No applications exist anywhere in the world. The EU says it will announce the start date several months before launch. The ETIAS status page carries the current position and will be updated as soon as there is a confirmed date.

For now, UK nationals travelling to Schengen countries need a valid passport and no additional authorisation. If you are considering using the YES scheme once it opens, understanding the ETIAS and EES picture in advance is worth doing. The official EU ETIAS portal at travel-europe.europa.eu/etias will carry the application details when they are available.