Travel News
Europe's ETIAS Travel Authorisation Has Slipped to 2027, With No New Start Date Yet Confirmed
The EU's ETIAS pre-travel authorisation, repeatedly pushed back and most recently targeted for late 2026, is no longer expected to launch this year; EU officials say a new date will be announced only months ahead of go-live, with 2027 now the likely window.
By BigTravel.in Editorial Team · · 2 min read
The European Travel Information and Authorisation System, ETIAS, was designed to require visa-exempt travellers from non-EU countries, such as the UK, the US and several dozen other nationalities, to obtain a low-cost, short-form pre-travel authorisation before entering the Schengen area, similar in concept to the US ESTA or the UK's ETA. As of September 2026, it has still not launched. Reporting through the middle of this year cited eu-LISA, the EU agency building the system, confirming that a launch by the end of 2026 is no longer feasible.
Why it keeps slipping
ETIAS is built to run alongside the EU's separate Entry/Exit System, EES, which logs biometric data for non-EU arrivals and departures at Schengen borders. EES itself had a troubled rollout earlier this year, and officials have said ETIAS cannot go live until EES is running reliably across member states, which has pushed the dependent system's timeline back in step.
What travellers should know now
No confirmed launch date has been set; 2027 is the most commonly cited likely window, but the European Commission has said it will announce a firm start date only a few months before the system actually goes live. Until then, ETIAS is not required for entry to the Schengen area under any nationality.
Where this leaves Indian travellers
Indian passport holders are not part of the visa-waiver group ETIAS is built for and continue to require a Schengen visa for most short stays in the EU, so this particular delay does not change entry requirements for Indian travellers directly. It is, however, worth tracking alongside the EU's Entry/Exit System, which is already in force and does add biometric checks at the border for non-EU arrivals, including Indian visa holders.
Traveller tips
- ETIAS is not yet required for any nationality; treat any site or service charging an ETIAS fee today with caution.
- Indian travellers to the Schengen area still need a visa in the normal way; ETIAS, when it eventually launches, will not replace that requirement.
- Confirm current status directly via the EU's official ETIAS information site, travel-europe.europa.eu, before making any travel plans around it.
- Budget extra time at EU border control regardless, since the separate Entry/Exit System's biometric checks are already active.
Where this is
Munich, Germany
