Skip to main content
European Commission logo
en
Live, work, travel in the EU
Migration and Home Affairs
  • 6 October 2025

European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)

ETIAS-banner
ETIAS

Travel authorisation for visa-exempt travellers to enter Europe

Official ETIAS website

Important notice

  • The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point. ETIAS will start operations in the last quarter of 2026.
  • Applicants will be able to apply via an official website and/or app for mobile devices once the system goes live.
  • ETIAS fee has been set at EUR 20 instead of the previous EUR 7. The new fee takes into account the rise in inflation since 2018 and additional operational costs related to new technical features integrated into the system. It also brings the cost for an ETIAS travel authorisation in line with similar travel authorisation programmes around the globe. The adjustment of the fee is now undergoing a two-month review period of the Council and the European Parliament (renewable once). It will enter into effect as soon as ETIAS is operational.

What is ETIAS

ETIAS is a new travel requirement for visa-free travellers visiting 30 European countries for a short stay (i.e. for up to 90 days within any 180-day period). It aims to identify security, irregular migration or high epidemic risks posed by travellers before they begin their journey, while respecting fundamental rights and data protection principles, and at the same time facilitating crossing borders for the vast majority of travellers who do not pose such risks.

The ETIAS travel authorisation will be checked together with the travel documents by the border guards when crossing the EU border. This prior verification of visa exempt non-EU citizens will facilitate border checks, avoid bureaucracy and delays for travellers when presenting themselves at the borders, ensure a coordinated and harmonised risk assessment of third-country nationals, and substantially reduce the number of refusals of entry at border crossing points.

The European Agency for the operational management of large-scale IT systems in the area of freedom, security and justice (eu-LISA) is responsible for developing the system.

Background

The European Commission first introduced the idea of a ETIAS in April 2016 in the Communication "Stronger and Smarter Information Systems for Borders and Security" and adopted the proposal on 16 November 2016. After negotiations with the European Parliament and the Council the ETIAS Regulation (EU) 2018/1240 was adopted on 12 September 2018 and entered into force on 9 October 2018.

More information

Website