ETIAS is not open yet — and anyone charging you for one today is not the official service
It will cost 20 euros, last three years, and apply to 59 visa-exempt nationalities. None of that has started. Here is what is actually true as of today, read from the official EU site.
The most useful thing anyone can tell you about ETIAS right now is that it is not in operation. No applications are being accepted. Nobody needs one to travel to Europe today.
The official ETIAS website says so on every page, and the European Union has said it will announce the start date several months in advance. The Commission's stated timing is the last quarter of 2026, and the specific date has not been published.
That matters more than any other detail here, because a requirement that has been announced but not started is exactly the gap that fraudulent sites trade in. If a website invites you to apply for or pay for an ETIAS authorisation today, it is not the official service. There is one official site, and it is not charging anyone.
What it will be
ETIAS is a travel authorisation, not a visa. It is an entry requirement for visa-exempt travellers going to any of the 30 European countries that will require one.
- It costs 20 euros.
- It is linked to the passport you apply with. A new passport means a new authorisation.
- It lasts 3 years, or until that passport expires, whichever comes first.
- It permits as many trips as you like within the usual 90 days in any 180.
- It is not a guarantee of entry. A border officer still checks your documents and can still refuse you.
Some applicants pay nothing: those under 18 or over 70, and family members of EU, Icelandic, Liechtenstein, Norwegian and Swiss nationals.
Who will need one
Nationals of 59 visa-exempt countries and territories. That includes the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore, among many others.
If you currently need a Schengen visa, ETIAS will not apply to you. A visa already covers what ETIAS is for. Check which applies to your nationality before assuming either way.
A condition worth knowing if it applies to you: for nationals of Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Georgia, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Serbia and Ukraine, ETIAS is open only to holders of a biometric passport. With any other kind of passport a visa is required instead — the same condition that governs visa-free travel today.
Do not plan around a same-day decision
Most applications are expected to be processed within minutes. But the official guidance sets out what happens when one is not:
- A decision can take up to 4 days.
- That extends to 14 days if you are asked for supporting documents.
- It extends to 30 days if you are invited to an interview.
Apply well before you travel. A thirty-day worst case is not a theoretical number when the alternative is a non-refundable flight.
There is also a document requirement that catches people out. Your travel document must not expire in less than 3 months and must not be older than 10 years. That second test is separate from the expiry date, and a passport can pass one and fail the other — check yours rather than assume.
The Cyprus detail almost nobody mentions
Cyprus will require ETIAS. Cyprus is not in the Schengen area.
Those two facts together produce something genuinely confusing: the days you spend in Cyprus are calculated separately and do not count towards the 90 days you are allowed in the other European countries requiring ETIAS.
So an authorisation that covers 30 countries does not imply a single allowance across all 30. If your trip includes Cyprus, count it apart. The calculator counts the Schengen area, which is the allowance the 90/180 rule actually governs.
What to do now
Nothing, and that is the honest answer. There is no advantage in early preparation for a system that is not accepting applications, and there is a real risk in engaging with sites that claim otherwise.
When it opens, the things that will matter are the passport you apply with — because the authorisation attaches to it — and applying early enough that a slow decision does not cost you a trip.
Sources: European Union — official ETIAS website; European Union — who should apply; European Union — what you need to apply.
Before you travel: DAYOZA provides informational calculations based on the rules and sources available on this page. Immigration and entry requirements can change. Always verify your eligibility and permitted stay with the relevant official authority before traveling.