I wasn’t wrong when I theorized that the EU’s expansive ETIAS travel authorization program would be delayed after its new EES border systems were launched in April.
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I was just early.
If you haven’t heard, Schengen’s highly awaited ETIAS authorization program has been pushed back yet again. Here’s what we know.
Inside Europe’s EES – ETIAS delays
If you’re new to ETIAS-EES updates, let me catch you up using layman’s terms. Schengen members in Europe (which includes all EU members, plus other countries like Iceland and Switzerland) have digitized their borders to more efficiently track visitors who enter and exit. Instead of customs agents, the EU has handed over the work to a highly complex program.
That program is called the Entry-Exit System, aka EES. The higher goal of EES is to make sure visitors who enter Schengen don’t overstay their 90-day allowance. And to get that 90-day allowance, tourists must apply for a European Travel Information and Authorization System, aka ETIAS. It’s a straightforward, affordable authorization, like the UK’s ETA and the US’s ESTA.
There’s just one problem. Schengen members can’t launch ETIAS applications until the EES is established. Though it went live across Schengen in April, it hasn’t exactly had an easy run. As such, ETIAS’s launch has been delayed again—and there’s no launch date in sight.
According to the EU’s official ETIAS page, “ETIAS is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point. The European Union will inform about the specific date for the start of ETIAS several months prior to its launch.”
What does that mean for Americans like you?
It means you can still come and go from Europe’s Schengen zone without applying for a travel authorization. And you’ll have months to prepare for the next (supposed) launch date. Unfortunately, you still need to deal with those slow digitized border crossings—but they should get better over time as more airport customs crews adapt to the new system.
