ETIAS: where does it stand?
| Question | Answer (checked on 26 October 2026) |
|---|---|
| Already compulsory? | No: the system is not running and no application is accepted |
| Start date | No official date; the "last quarter of 2026" target disappeared from the Commission website in July 2026 (some sites still quote it, others point to 2027) |
| Planned fee | €20 per application, authorisation valid for 3 years |
| Free for | Under 18s and over 70s |
| Transition period | Planned: 6 months during which ETIAS stays optional, which the Commission can extend |
The only official site is travel-europe.europa.eu. Any site already selling an "ETIAS application" is not official: do not pay.
EES: what changes on arrival
- Who is affected: non-EU nationals on a short stay (90 days in 180), British and American travellers included. Not affected: EU, EEA and Swiss citizens, and holders of a residence permit or long-stay visa from a Schengen country.
- What is recorded: a photo of your face, fingerprints and passport data, kept for 3 years. Children under 12 give no fingerprints. Refusing biometric data means refused entry.
- How: at the border, at a self-service kiosk (biometric passport) or at a booth. No prior registration. Later crossings should be faster.
- Queues: waits of 2 to 3 hours were reported at several European airports after 10 April 2026, and the press named Lisbon, Paris, Amsterdam and Milan. During the summer some countries could temporarily suspend fingerprinting; the situation today varies from airport to airport.
- Official app: "Travel to Europe" lets you pre-register your photo and passport up to 72 hours before arrival, but only in a few countries (Portugal and Sweden according to the press in April 2026). Check before relying on it.
Arriving in Paris
- Airports: Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle, Orly. See our guide to the airports and getting to the centre.
- Margin: do not book a train or a tight connection right after landing. A private transfer tracks your flight and waits if passport control is slow.
- Connection: to have internet as soon as you clear control, see our page on eSIM and SIM cards.
- EU citizen or Schengen resident: nothing changes for you, neither ETIAS nor EES.
