NON-EUROPEAN CITIZENS - WHEN DOES THE ETIAS START? PROVISIONAL KEY DATES FOR NON-EUROPEANS TRAVELLING TO EUROPE

 The Independent 16 January 2026 - by Simon Calder

Re the information below the EES will apply to all non-Europeans travelling into Europe/Schengen area.  However, as long as you have your biometric residency issued by Cyprus, you will not need to do anything further regarding the EES as your biometric residency will carry the information required.

In due course, when released, all non-Europeans will need to apply for an ETIAS - a simple online procedure.  Scheduled provisionally for release late 2026/early 2027 - date keeps on being put back.

• The European Union launched its Entry-Exit System (EES) on 12 October 2025, with full implementation for British travellers to the Schengen area anticipated by April 2026.
• The EES will require British citizens to undergo biometric checks, including fingerprints and facial scans, upon their first entry and subsequent exits from the Schengen zone.
• The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will be introduced around six months after the EES rollout is completed (estimated October 2026) but will not become mandatory for UK visitors until around six months later (estimated April 2027).
• Etias is an online permit costing €20, valid for three years, though it will be free for travellers under 18 or over 70.
• These new systems aim to enhance security, combat irregular migration, and ensure compliance with short-stay rules, which may result in longer border queues.

UK citizens travelling to and from Europe this year will encounter changes at borders. The European Union launched its much-delayed entry-exit system (EES) on 12 October, although some countries are yet to fully make the switch.

By April 2026 the process should be complete, transforming the border experience at all crossing points in and out of the Schengen area (comprising the EU except Ireland and Cyprus, plus Iceland, Norway and Switzerland).

The aims of the EES are:

• To identify suspected criminals
• To combat identity fraud
• To police the limit on stays of 90 days in any 180 days that applies to UK and other nationalities

British travellers to and from the Schengen area will go through a biometric check. On first encounter with the EES, they must provide four of their fingerprints (not required of children under 12) and a facial biometric.  

Travellers will go through the formalities at airports, land borders and ports in the Schengen area on both arrival and departure.

During and after the roll-out, border officers may ask you for proof of financial resources and evidence that you will leave after a short stay – just as they can do now. France is also demanding medical insurance.

Once you have registered, on subsequent encounters with the entry-exit system you will need only one biometric taken; this is almost certain to be the face.

Be prepared to provide biometrics and expect longer border queues as a result of “double red tape” – providing biometrics but having your passport stamped as well.

Six months after the entry-exit system roll-out is completed, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will be introduced – if all goes according to plan.

Key dates

This is the calendar for changes so far and planned for the future.

10 January 2026

By 10 January, “member states should operate the entry-exit system – with biometric functionalities – at a minimum of half of their border crossing points”. But only 35 per cent of visitors must be EES-registered.

This means a country such as Spain, Italy or Greece, with many arrival points by air, need not activate the entry-exit system at the busiest airports – so long at a majority of crossing points are EES-enabled.

11 March 2026

All borders must be biometric enabled and at least half the crossings must be registered on the central database.

31 March 2026

By now, every third-country national should be registered on the way in and out.

9 April 2026

Manual checking and stamping of passports must continue up to and including this date. Assuming that the EES is running flawlessly across Europe, the practice will end at midnight.

9 October 2026 (estimated date)

The European Travel Information and Authorisation System (Etias) will be launched, but will not be compulsory. This online permit, price €20 (£17), is similar to the US Esta scheme, but valid for longer: three years. While those under 18 or over 70 will still need to apply for and hold an Etias, it will be free.

Initially a six-month grace period will be granted to travellers who neglect to organise an Etias. But even though you won’t legally need one immediately, you might not be allowed on your plane if you fail to show an Etias..

What to do: Get an Etias if you are going to the Schengen area.

9 April 2027 (estimated date)

It will mandatory for prospective UK visitors to have an Etias.