It’s been a summer of exasperation and confusion at some of Europe’s busiest airports as travelers grapple with long wait times at passport control due to the newly implemented digital Entry/Exit System (EES), but travelers could be spared one extra step to the border-crossing process—for now.
According to a report from the Financial Times, the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS) has been delayed until 2027. Most recently and after numerous delays, ETIAS was slated to go into effect in late 2026. Although the ETIAS website still says operations will begin in the last quarter of 2026, the Financial Times reports that the agency that oversees the system, the European Union Agency for the Operational Management of Large-Scale IT Systems in the Area of Freedom, Security and Justice (eu-LISA), has “acknowledged that launching it by the end of this year as planned was no longer feasible.”
The system is meant to help strengthen and streamline European Union (EU) border security by approving travelers before they arrive in the 30 participating European countries, including France, Italy, and Spain. Once active, ETIAS will require travelers from countries that are currently not part of the EU to pay an application fee and receive the security preauthorization before gaining entry.
The one-time application fee will cost 20 euros (about US$23). After approval, foreign nationals will be authorized to enter the 30 nations for stays of up to 90 days within any 180-day period. Permission will last for three years or until their passport expires, whichever comes first.
According to the official ETIAS website, most applications will be processed “within minutes” via the website or forthcoming app, but some applications may take up to 4 days. Wait times can hit 14 days if you’re asked to submit additional documentation or information, or even 30 days if an interview is requested. Travelers will still have to present their passports and undergo screening by a border patrol agent upon arrival.
The United Kingdom, which is not part of the EU, has its own Electronic Travel Authorization (ETA) system that requires eligible visitors to apply via an app before traveling to any part of the U.K. That system has faced hurdles of its own in recent months.
Even before this summer’s hardships, it’s been a long road for ETIAS, which was initially scheduled to be implemented in 2021. No official reason for this latest delay has been reported, but Europe’s new Entry/Exit System (EES), a prerequisite for ETIAS, has caused major disruptions at border controls this summer.
Meant to replace manual passport stamps with a more streamlined process, EES requires travelers to submit biometric data, including fingerprints and facial recognition scans, when entering nations in the European Schengen Area. It went into full effect in April, but by early June, International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) regional vice president for Europe, Rafael Schvartzman, warned that the “unacceptable” delays caused by EES could leave passengers facing “challenging waiting times” of “three, four, five, and even six hours.”
According to Sarah Silbert, managing editor of travel booking tool Points Path, the reported hiccups haven’t deterred travelers heading to European getaways this summer, and experiences crossing the borders have varied widely. “While some U.S. travelers have reported significant delays, others say they’ve zipped through customs at European airports in a matter of minutes,” she told Afar.
For Americans and other foreign nationals, the delayed launch means one less step to a European border-crossing system already clogged by faltering tech-driven initiatives.
Silbert’s advice is to relish pre-ETIAS days while they last . . . and last. “Pushing back the rollout of ETIAS is a positive for U.S. travelers overall,” she says. “There are inevitably growing pains with new programs that can be exacerbated by peak travel periods like summer.”
