Home lifestyle Travel EU Delays Entry/Exit System an...

EU Delays Entry/Exit System and ETIAS to 2025

Travel

Business Honor
22 March, 2025

EU delays Entry/Exit System and ETIAS implementation to 2025 and 2026, enhancing border security.

The European Union's entry/exit System (EES) and European Travel Information and Authorization System (ETIAS), both vital in enhancing border security, have faced a revised timeline. On March 5, the EU Home Affairs Ministers declared that the introduction of EES will now take place by October 2025, and ETIAS will follow in the fourth quarter of 2026.

The EES, originally scheduled for November 2024, will digitally register third-country nationals every time they cross the external borders of the Schengen Area. It will update border management and simplify procedures for third-country travelers to facilitate smoother and safer crossings. The system will prevent identity fraud by registering information of visitors and monitoring their entry and exit across 29 European nations.

Equally, ETIAS, to be applied to visa-exempt travelers to the EU, will be a pre-travel authorization mechanism. It entails travelers completing an online application form, submitting personal information and a fee of EUR7. ETIAS will be integrated with the EES so that there is an added level of security as well as convenient travel for valid visitors. ETIAS is likely to impact millions of travelers from nations that already have visa-free entry to the EU.

Both systems have been repeatedly delayed because of technical and logistical issues. The roll-out of EES was originally planned for 2022, with several delayed dates since then. Currently, the EU is considering a phased introduction of the system, giving 29 member states six months to adapt to the new rules once the last legal obstacles are overcome.

Even with these delays, the objective is clear: modernizing the EU's border management system, enhancing security, and streamlining the travel process for visitors.