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.
Spain remains one of Europe's top summer destinations, but 2025 brings tighter entry checks, changing tourist taxes and stricter local conduct rules. Here is a clear guide to what travellers should prepare before arriving.
Discover the security procedures and checks that apply to different categories of travellers entering or leaving the Schengen Area, and how systems like EES and ETIAS streamline the process.
The EU is preparing to roll out its new Entry/Exit System for non-EU visitors. Here is what the biometric border process means for travellers, where delays may appear and why privacy advocates are watching closely.