The EU postpones the launch of ETIAS until 2024

The European Union have confirmed that the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) has been postponed again, this time until 2024, without giving an exact date, or even month.

The delay has happened without any official warning or announcement by the EU, they have simply changed the date on the EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs website from November 2023 to 2024.

“It is expected that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be operational in 2024,” the website reads, under the FAQ regarding the date when the ETIAS comes into force.

OFFICIAL WEBSITE ANNOUNCED:
The EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs website now also lists travel-europe.europa.eu/etias_en as the official ETIAS application website in English, and travel-europe.europa.eu/ees_en as the official website for the new Entry/Exit System (EES).

The EES was originally supposed to become effective in May 2023, but it has also been postponed until the end of the year. The exact date for the EES rollout currently remains unknown as well.

Both the ETIAS and EES have been created by the EU in a bid to enhance security in the bloc, and keep track of who is planning to come, who enters, and who leaves the EU and Schengen Area territory, and how long they stay there under the 90/180 day rule.

It is expected that the ETIAS will affect 1.4 billion people from over 60 different world countries, who can currently travel to the 27 Schengen Area countries without having to obtain a short-stay visa, including Americans, Britons, Albanians, Kiwis, Canadians, etc., and will cost 7€ per person for the first three years.