Travellers from the United Kingdom do not need Europe's new ETIAS travel authorisation yet — because the system has still not launched. The European Union's official ETIAS page, checked on 29 October 2026, states plainly that ETIAS "is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point".

What the EU says today

ETIAS, the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, is a pre-travel authorisation — not a visa — for visa-exempt visitors to 30 European countries, including the Schengen area plus Cyprus. Once it launches, the EU says it will give several months' notice of the start date, and applications will cost €20, with no fee for travellers under 18 or over 70, according to travel industry guidance. Authorisations will cover stays of up to 90 days. The EU's earlier last-quarter-2026 launch window was removed in August 2026 without a replacement date, and press reporting now points to 2027, though no date is confirmed.

What travellers should — and should not — do

For now, the practical advice is simple: do not pay anyone for an ETIAS. The EU's border agency Frontex has warned that more than 100 unofficial websites are posing as ETIAS portals and charging travellers — in some reports between €50 and €178 — for a system that has accepted no legitimate application. Any site claiming it can issue an official ETIAS today is not official. Rules summary: ETIAS is not a visa and does not change the 90-days-in-180 rule; it is a future pre-travel check, and nothing needs to be done until the EU announces a launch date. This article is general information, not personal immigration advice.

Sources: European Commission, ETIAS official page; ABTA guidance via Not An Atlas, EES and ETIAS status October 2026; Frontex warning via Travel Tourister, ETIAS scam alert October 2026.