What are ETIAS and EES, and do I need them to travel to Europe?

EES vs ETIAS at a glance

• EES (Entry/Exit System): a digital border record. Live since 12 October 2025 in phases, fully operational at all Schengen external borders since 10 April 2026. No application, no fee. Done at the border.

• ETIAS (European Travel Information and Authorisation System): an online pre-travel authorization, similar to the US ESTA or the UK ETA. Not in operation. When it starts it will cost €20 for travelers aged 18 to 70 and last three years or until your passport expires.

Neither is a visa. If you could visit the Schengen Area visa-free before, you still can, for up to 90 days in any 180-day period.

EES: what happens at the border now

The European Commission says EES records your name, travel document details, fingerprints and facial image, and the date and place of every entry and exit, plus any refusal of entry. It applies to non-EU nationals on short stays and, since 10 April 2026, it replaces the stamping of passports.

The first time you enter after the rollout, an officer or self-service kiosk scans your passport, takes four fingerprints and a photo. Children under 12 aren't fingerprinted but are still photographed and registered. Later crossings are faster because your file already exists; the record is kept for three years. Expect longer queues at busy airports and land borders, especially on your first entry.

Because EES logs every entry and exit automatically, it counts your 90/180 days for the authorities. Overstays that a stamp might once have hidden now show up instantly, so track your days carefully on longer trips.

ETIAS: not yet required, and no start date

As of mid-October 2026, the EU's official ETIAS site says ETIAS is not in operation and no applications are being collected. The EU's earlier target of the last quarter of 2026 is no longer shown, and no replacement date has been published. The EU has said it will announce the start date several months in advance, so in practice ETIAS will not be required before 2027. Treat any specific 2027 date you see quoted elsewhere as speculation until it appears on travel-europe.europa.eu.

When it launches, the European Commission says the fee will be €20 (raised in 2025 from the originally planned €7), with travelers under 18 and over 70 exempt from paying. An approved ETIAS is linked to your passport and is valid for three years or until the passport expires, whichever comes first, for unlimited short trips. It covers the Schengen countries plus Cyprus, not each country separately.

Watch out for ETIAS scam and look-alike sites

Because ETIAS isn't live, any website taking money for an ETIAS application today is not the EU. Look-alike sites with official-sounding names and EU-flag logos rank highly in search results and charge several times the real fee, or simply collect your passport data. The only official sources are travel-europe.europa.eu and, once it launches, the official ETIAS app it links to. If you're asked to pay for ETIAS before the EU announces a start date, close the page.

Which countries on our routes use EES and ETIAS

Schengen members, so EES now and ETIAS when it starts: Spain, Italy, Germany, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Croatia (Schengen since 2023) and Romania (a full Schengen member since 1 January 2025, so land borders with Hungary have no routine checks either). Inside Schengen there are normally no border checks, so you register with EES once, at the external border where you enter, and are checked out where you leave.

Not covered by EES or ETIAS: the UK runs its own Electronic Travel Authorisation (£20 on GOV.UK, apply before you fly). Montenegro, Albania, Turkey and Morocco are outside the EU and Schengen, apply their own entry rules, and days spent there don't count toward your Schengen 90/180. Ireland and Cyprus are EU members outside Schengen and don't use EES either.

On a Balkan road trip, that means crossing from Croatia into Montenegro is a Schengen exit (EES records it) and coming back is a new Schengen entry. Our guide to driving across Balkan borders covers how those crossings work in practice.

Frequently asked questions