ETIAS Doesn't Exist Yet: No Launch Date, a €20 Fee, and the Scam Sites Already Selling It

ETIAS is the piece of European travel that everyone has heard of and almost nobody has correctly dated. It is not a visa, it is not live, and — as of today — it does not even have a launch date. That gap is exactly where fraudulent "apply for your ETIAS" sites operate. Here is what is actually true in 2026, what changed over the summer, and the one thing worth doing now.

Executive answer

Here is the part the scam sites bury: ETIAS is not in operation, and no website can legitimately sell you one today. The European Commission's own page states it plainly — the system "is currently not in operation and no applications for travel authorisations are collected at this point." Just as important, there is no launch date. The EU pulled its "last quarter of 2026" target in July 2026; the official position now is that it will inform travellers of the date several months before launch, and a revised timeline is only expected after eu-LISA's management board meets in September 2026. Across the industry, 2027 is now the mainstream expectation — not a fringe scenario. What is fixed: when ETIAS does launch, the fee is €20 (raised from an originally planned €7), travellers under 18 and over 70 are exempt from the fee, it applies to visa-free nationals — Americans, Britons, Canadians, Australians, Brazilians and others — for short stays of up to 90 days in any 180-day period, and you will apply on the official EU website or app. Translation for travellers and nomads: there is nothing to buy, nothing to apply for, and one scam to avoid.

What ETIAS actually is

ETIAS — the European Travel Information and Authorisation System — is not a visa. It is a pre-travel authorisation, closer to the US ESTA, for people who already enter the Schengen area visa-free. When it launches, you will apply online, pay €20, be screened against EU security databases, and travel much as before. An authorisation is linked to your passport and, once issued, is expected to be valid for up to three years or until the passport expires. It does not replace the entry rules that already apply: a passport issued within the last 10 years and valid for at least three months beyond your planned departure.

Why there is no date any more — and why 2027 is the honest answer

ETIAS was originally legislated for 2021 and has slipped every year since — 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and now past 2026. The reason was always the same dependency: ETIAS legally and technically needs the Entry/Exit System (EES) running first. That prerequisite finally exists — the EES has been fully operational since 10 April 2026. But instead of switching ETIAS on straight after, the EU withdrew its 2026 target: reporting in July 2026 pointed to eu-LISA — the agency building the system — concluding internally that a 2026 launch was no longer feasible, with a "stabilise the EES first" logic on top of remaining IT work. The official ETIAS page no longer shows any date. The next real signal is eu-LISA's September 2026 board meeting; until then, plan around 2027.

The €20 fee — and who does not pay it

The fee has been set at €20 — the Commission confirmed this on 17 July 2025, raising it from the originally planned €7 to cover operational costs and align with comparable schemes such as the US ESTA and UK ETA. Travellers under 18 or over 70 are exempt from the fee. Read that carefully: exempt means the authorisation is free, not that those travellers skip ETIAS — everyone in scope still needs one once it launches. The €20 is charged once, per application, on the official EU portal.

The scam layer, plainly

Search "ETIAS application" today and you will find slick sites charging €60–90 for a document that cannot legally be issued. The rule fits in one sentence: until the EU announces the launch and opens the official system, nobody can sell you an ETIAS. When it does open, the price is €20, on the official EU website or app — full stop. Any site taking your money now is taking it for nothing.

Decision framework

• Travelling to Europe now → you need nothing for ETIAS, but you will meet the EES at the border (biometrics on first entry).
• Booked for 2027 → check your passport's validity maths now and renew early, rather than in a launch-window scramble.
• Nomad on the 90/180 pattern → ETIAS changes none of your day limits; the EES already enforces them. Your real question is a residence visa.
• Saw an "apply now" ETIAS site → close the tab. There is nothing to buy yet.