News

At the start of 2025, the central message for British travellers was that the EU's next border changes were still delayed. The Entry/Exit System had to come first, and the later ETIAS permit could only follow once that system had been fully running for months.

Australian travellers are facing new pre-travel requirements for both the United States and Europe. The US Global Entry programme and the EU's ETIAS both require advance authorisation before crossing their respective borders.

ABTA used an early 2024 webinar announcement to underline how significant EES and ETIAS would be for UK travel businesses. The immediate priority was to get accurate information from the agencies building the systems before customer confusion spread.

Travellers looking for ETIAS information may encounter unofficial websites that appear authoritative but are not run by the European Union. Some may act as legal intermediaries, but others can publish wrong information, collect personal data or add unnecessary charges.

A broad coalition from Europe’s tourism and travel sector is challenging the European Commission’s proposal to raise the ETIAS fee from €7 to €20. The group says the increase is disproportionate and calls for a transparent impact assessment before any decision is finalised.

The EU plans to require ETIAS travel authorisation for visa-free visitors such as UK nationals before entering most of the Schengen area. Travellers should understand the fee, validity period, and the uncertain enforcement window alongside the separate EES rollout.

IATA's current Europe entry-requirements page combines practical traveller guidance with operational milestones for EES and ETIAS. It also warns visitors to rely on official EU channels and avoid unofficial ETIAS websites charging extra fees.

The EU is introducing two new border management tools that will change how visitors travel to Europe: ETIAS and the Entry/Exit System. Both strengthen European security, but they operate in very different ways.

Students from visa-free countries planning a short study trip to Europe will need ETIAS before travelling. The key issue is understanding when ETIAS is enough, when a student visa is required, and why the application should only be completed through the official website.

Travellers applying for ETIAS do not need to submit health details, vaccination status or biometric data as part of the application. The system is designed around identity, travel and security checks, and misleading claims can cause unnecessary confusion.