- The European Union has postponed the ETIAS launch again, removing the late twenty-twenty-six target date.
- Ongoing technical issues with the Entry/Exit System (EES) have caused border delays of up to five hours.
- Officials will meet in September twenty-twenty-six to establish a new timeline for the visa-waiver program.
The European Commission pushed ETIAS back again this week, after its travel portal dropped the late-2026 launch target on August 11, 2026. Officials are still wrestling with the Entry/Exit System. Not this year.
The official ETIAS portal now says the program is not running and takes no applications.
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"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."
The delay is the fifth major postponement for a scheme first slated for 2021. The timeline has kept sliding. At eu-LISA, the management board decided a 2026 start was no longer feasible, and a spokesperson said the board will return in September 2026 with a revised timetable.
Border pressure on the new entry checks pushed the shift. The Entry/Exit System became fully operational on April 10, 2026, but technical glitches and biometric processing delays have still snarled major hubs, including Paris and Madrid, where waits reached up to 5 hours in summer 2026. EU authorities want that system steadier before adding another layer.
Once it does start, ETIAS will cover visa-exempt nationals from more than 60 countries, including the United States, Canada, the UK and Australia. The fee is €20, or approximately $24 USD. Children under 18 and adults over 70 will not pay it, though they will still need the authorization. Approved permits will last for three years or until the passport runs out, whichever comes first.
The program is meant to work like the U.S. ESTA, screening travelers who do not need a full visa before they reach the border. That plan spans 30 European countries, 29 Schengen members plus Cyprus. It has been harder to stitch together biometric and security data than officials expected.
The border checks are still coming first
While ETIAS waits, the biometric checks remain live. Travelers entering the Schengen Area for the first time should still expect fingerprints and facial images to be captured. The result has been intermittent congestion at the border.
Ignore websites that claim to process ETIAS applications for a fee. No official applications are being accepted. The system is still closed.
The next formal update is due when the board meets again in September 2026. Many officials are already looking to 2027 as the earliest possible start date.
