Search results for: "ETIAS timeline"

The UK and the EU are rolling out new digital border systems. Here is what changes for visa-free travellers heading to Britain and the Schengen Area.

Each year ABTA has a presence at World Travel Market to stay in touch with members and the wider industry. At this year's WTM in London, the programme combines a 75th-anniversary celebration, fresh Holiday Habits research and a practical session on EES and ETIAS.

From 2 April, most European visitors to the UK must hold an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA), but the equivalent requirement for UK travellers heading to Europe, ETIAS, will not arrive until the end of 2026. ABTA is urging people to follow the official timeline and ignore unofficial sites that claim to sell an ETIAS already.

The EU is working towards an autumn 2025 launch for the Entry/Exit System (EES), but it will arrive in phases rather than all at once. Member States can start with a share of their border crossing points and scale up over six months, while ETIAS is not expected before late 2026.

ETIAS will not switch on all at once. Instead it begins with a transitional period and then a grace period, each lasting at least six months. Here is what the first year of ETIAS will look like in practice.