ETIAS: the EU's new travel permit (not open yet)

Where things stand (November 2026)

The EU website says ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are being collected.
In March 2026 EU ministers set a target of 'the last quarter of 2026'. No exact start date was posted on the official site when we checked.
Do not pay any website that offers ETIAS today. The EU says it does not license outside agents.
The only official site is travel-europe.europa.eu/etias, plus the official ETIAS app.

How it will work

It covers 30 European countries, including Cyprus.
Fee: 20 euros. It was raised from the 7 euros announced earlier.
Free for applicants under 18 or over 70.
Good for 3 years or until your passport expires, whichever comes first. A new passport means a new ETIAS.
Most applications are decided within minutes. Some take up to 4 days, or up to 30 days if you are asked for an interview.
It is linked to your passport. If the passport number on your ETIAS is wrong, you can be refused boarding, including on a ship.

For cruise passengers

ETIAS will be needed however you arrive: by plane, bus or ship.
One ETIAS covers all your ports in the ETIAS countries during its 3 years.
The 90-days-in-180 limit still applies. Cyprus days are counted separately.

Your checklist

Before booking, check travel-europe.europa.eu/etias to see if ETIAS has started.Once it opens, apply well before you fly. The EU suggests before you buy tickets.Apply with the same passport you will travel on, and check that every detail is correct.If you are 70 or older, don't pay a fee. Official applications are free for you.

Sources & what we could not confirm · 3 sources · checked 2026-11

Still being confirmed

Exact ETIAS launch date: none was published on the official site as of early November 2026. Any 'transition' or grace period after launch was not confirmed on a page we could read.
Note: the EU site runs on JavaScript. We read its content through the site's own content feed, with pages last edited in October 2026.