Getting ready for ETIAS: what to do before it opens

ETIAS is expected to open for applications in 2027. The portal is not live yet, and there is nothing to submit today. But with a few months to go, there are some practical things worth doing now so the authorisation does not become a last-minute problem.

None of these steps involve applying anywhere or paying anyone. They are about being in the right position the moment the official EU portal opens.

Check your passport before you book the trip

ETIAS is tied to the specific passport used at application. Get a new passport after applying and you will need to apply again. So before booking any trip that will need ETIAS, it is worth checking two things about your current passport.

First, expiry. Your ETIAS will be valid for 3 years from the date it is issued, or until the passport it is linked to expires, whichever comes first. A passport expiring in 2027 effectively limits the period your first ETIAS covers. If you are close to expiry, renewing before applying means the authorisation runs for its full three years.

Second, the ten-year issue rule. EU border law requires that the passport you arrive on was issued no more than ten years before the day you cross the external Schengen border. This catches a specific subset of UK passports renewed before October 2018: those documents had extra months added to their stated validity, and Schengen rules do not count those bonus months. A passport that looks valid on its face may already fail the ten-year test. Check your passport expiry before assuming it will be accepted.

Confirm you actually need ETIAS

ETIAS applies to nationals of roughly 60 countries who currently visit the Schengen area without a visa. If you hold an EU, EEA or Swiss passport you do not need it at all. The same applies if you hold a valid long-stay Schengen visa or a residence permit issued by an EU or Schengen country.

People from countries that currently require a Schengen visa to visit are not ETIAS travellers either. They will continue to apply for a visa through the usual consular route. ETIAS is specifically for the visa-exempt group: UK, US, Canadian, Australian, New Zealand, Japanese, South Korean and similar passport holders.

Still not sure which side of the line you fall on? The do I need ETIAS checker takes your nationality and intended destination and gives a direct answer.

Know who pays nothing

The standard ETIAS fee is €20 per application. Two groups are exempt: travellers under 18 and travellers aged 70 or over. The exemption is automatic. When you reach the payment screen, the system reads the date of birth on your passport. If you qualify, nothing is charged.

For everyone else, the fee is a one-off that covers all trips over the three-year validity. Divide it across a few visits and it works out well under the cost of a coffee per trip. The ETIAS fee guide has the full breakdown, including what the fee does and does not cover.

Understand how EES has already changed your Schengen record

If you have crossed a Schengen external border since 12 October 2025, those trips are already logged in the Entry/Exit System. EES has been fully operational across all 29 Schengen states since 10 April 2026, recording every entry and exit digitally against your passport.

When ETIAS launches, that travel history is part of what the system can draw on. Overstays, even unintentional short ones, sit in the EES record and will be visible at the point of ETIAS application. Before EES, a brief overstay that slipped past the passport stamp was effectively invisible. It is not now.

The Schengen 90/180-day rule still caps short stays at 90 days in any rolling 180-day window. ETIAS does not extend or pause that limit. If you are travelling to Schengen this summer or autumn, check your remaining days before you book so a future ETIAS application starts from a clean position.

When to apply and why earlier is better

When the portal does open, most applications clear within minutes. The system checks your passport and personal data against several EU and international databases automatically. No flag, no human review, and the authorisation arrives by email. That is the experience for the large majority of applicants.

A smaller number trigger a flag and go to manual review, which can take up to 96 hours. In rare cases, where additional information is requested, the process can extend to 30 days. If your application happens to fall into that group and you applied the night before departure, you have a real problem. Applying several weeks ahead gives you a margin.

The more detailed picture of what the assessment actually involves is in the ETIAS assessment guide.

Where to apply when the time comes

The official application routes will be the EU ETIAS website at travel-europe.europa.eu/etias and the official ETIAS mobile app, available in all EU languages on iOS and Android at launch. Both routes are free to use beyond the €20 application fee.

No third-party site or app can process a legitimate ETIAS today. Fraudulent websites are already operating, collecting fees and passport details from travellers who assume applications are open. They are not. The ETIAS scams guide explains what to watch for and how to tell a fake site from the real one when the portal does open.

What to do right now

In short: check your passport, confirm you need ETIAS, note who in your group is fee-exempt, and keep your Schengen day count clean. Those four things take less than half an hour and mean the application itself will be straightforward.

The ETIAS status page tracks the current launch position and will carry the announcement when the portal opens. Until then, No action is required yet. Applications are not open.