The European Union has postponed the launch of its ETIAS travel system for non-EU visitors until 2024.
In a website update, the EU’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs quietly pushed back the launch date of ETIAS from November 2023 to 2024. This latest delay was not explained.
“The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is expected to be operational in 2024,” the EU stated in its most recent update.
In recent years, ETIAS has experienced a string of setbacks. The previous postponement, announced in August 2022, pushed ETIAS’s start date by six months, from May to November 2023.
The EU also moved the launch of its brand-new Entry-Exit System (EES) from May 2023 to “by the end of 2023” last month. When non-EU travellers enter and leave the EU, EES will be used to register them.
Visitors from outside the EU who currently have visa-waiver status, including those from the UK and the US, will need to apply for an ETIAS to visit any of the 26 Schengen countries once ETIAS is in place.
Through an official website or app, ETIAS applicants will be required to pay a €7 fee. Once granted, each ETIAS will be valid for three years or until the travel document’s expiration date. All travellers must apply for ETIAS authorization, but those under the age of 18 and over 70 are exempt from paying the €7 fee.