The European Commission says the Entry/Exit System is foreseen for October 2025 after earlier delays. Operators at Dover, Eurostar and Eurotunnel say they are preparing infrastructure, but uncertainty over the exact launch date keeps queue concerns in focus.
EU Home Affairs Ministers have endorsed a revised rollout plan for two major travel systems. The Entry/Exit System will go live in October 2025, while the European Travel Information and Authorisation System will launch in late 2026, supported by transitional and grace periods.
European visitors who do not need a visa now have to obtain a UK ETA before travelling. The system extends Britain’s pre-travel screening model and places new document-check duties on airlines, ferry operators and rail carriers.
ETIAS has drawn heavy attention, but UK travellers do not need to rush into applications or unofficial websites. The immediate priority is understanding that ETIAS depends on EES and that only confirmed official information should shape travel plans.
European visitors who do not need a visa now have to obtain a UK ETA before travelling. The system extends Britain’s pre-travel screening model and places new document-check duties on airlines, ferry operators and rail carriers.
The European Union has delayed the long-awaited ETIAS travel authorisation system once again, pushing its expected launch to the final quarter of 2026.
The EU's ETIAS system has been pushed back again and is now expected to begin in the last quarter of 2026. For visa-exempt travellers, that means more time before the new pre-travel authorisation becomes part of entering the Schengen Area.
A further delay to ETIAS does not mean easier travel to Europe in the meantime. The more immediate change is the phased Entry/Exit System, which is likely to bring extra checks, continued passport stamping and longer queues before ETIAS ever becomes compulsory.
By spring 2025, the story around the EU's Entry/Exit System had shifted from a missed launch date to a phased implementation plan. ABTA's practical message was that businesses and travellers still needed to prepare, but they also needed to understand that the system would not switch on everywhere at once.
A misleading rule survived online for years and risked confusing travellers at exactly the wrong moment. The correction matters because the Schengen passport test is simpler than many officials, airlines and websites have claimed.