In this video, the presenter provides a timely update for UK residents planning trips to the European Union. She explains that the previously announced Q4‑2026 launch date for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) has been removed from the official website, meaning the start date is now uncertain and will be announced only a few months in advance. The video clarifies the distinction between ETIAS—a pre‑travel visa‑waiver‑type authorisation that requires an online application and a fee—and the Entry/Exit System (EES), a biometric border‑control system (photo and fingerprints) that operates at the point of entry and incurs no cost. She shares personal experience of varying EES performance at airports (e.g., long delays in Madrid versus smooth processing in another Spanish airport) and notes that EES is inconsistently applied on ferries and the Eurotunnel. The presenter outlines ETIAS fee structures (€20 for most adults, free for under‑18s and over‑70s, though the latter still must apply) and validity (three years or until passport expiry, whichever comes first). She warns viewers to use only the official ETIAS website to avoid scams and offers a subscription/email alert service for up‑to‑date information. Finally, she promotes an upcoming workshop on European travel destinations for motorhome and campervan enthusiasts, providing a link for registration, and encourages viewers to subscribe for future updates.
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If you're planning to travel from the UK into Europe in the next few months, there is yet another change to the process that you need to be aware of. Now, over the past— well, certainly over 2026, there have been new things that have come in like EES, and we have been told time and time again ETIAS is going to come into place in the last quarter of 2026. That is now no longer the case. In fact, the date has been completely removed from the official ETIAS website, and they have told us that they will tell us within a few months of it starting so that we can be prepared. So what does that actually mean for those of you who are planning to travel into the EU sometime soon? So firstly, just a quick recap on what exactly is ETIAS. What am I talking about? ETIAS stands for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System, and it is basically a way of the EU knowing in advance who is coming into their borders. out of their borders. So, they have a better understanding and also the capability of saying no, exactly in the same way that the US does with their ESTA system. So, it is not a visa, it is technically a visa waiver for those of us in countries that don't need visas to go into the EU. But you still have to apply for it in advance, you still have to pay for it. So, in a lot of ways, it is exactly like a visa. It has to be done before you travel. You can't wait until you get to the border. Now, a lot of people are getting ETIAS confused with EES. They are 2 completely different systems. EES is the Entry Exit System, and that is the one with a photo and your fingerprint, and that is done at the border. You do not have to do anything before you get there other than make sure you've got your passport and that it's in date. But once you're actually at the border, then that's when EES kicks in. So EES has actually been turned off quite a lot over the summer, particularly Particularly for the Eurotunnel because it's been taking so long to get people through. Now, I have flown into the EU 3 times this year, and every single airport that I have flown into has had EES up and running. And honestly, the first one, Madrid, in February, was horrendous. It took about 2 hours to get from the plane to collecting our luggage. Like, it was madness. But the next time I flew into Spain, which was actually only a couple of weeks ago, That worked really well, and it took about 10 minutes. So it just shows that the system is getting better. And also, people like myself who have now already done it, we can now sort of skip that fingerprinty bit and just go straight to the bit with the passports where they check all that, because they're still doing all that, which seems to defeat the point of the system. But never mind. So that is working on most of the airports. It is the ferries and it is the tunnel where it's hit and miss. What is happening with the EES system. So if you are crossing into Europe sometime in the next few months, prepare and expect to be asked for your fingerprints and your photo and all of that stuff. But it might be switched off on the day that you go through. So it's not a guarantee that it will happen for you. But that, like I say, that is in place, that is still running. And as soon as that is up and running properly and hasn't been switched off for several months, then we will be getting closer to the time where we need to start looking at ETIAS. So that is EES. Like I say, there's no cost for that. ETIAS is the scheme that is coming in, that's like phase 2, if you like, of the European border protections, and that is the one where you will have to apply for it in advance. It currently has gone from €7 to €20 per person, but not if you're under 18 and not if you are over 70. So if you are outside of that realm, you shouldn't have to pay for it. However, you do still need to apply for it. So if you are over 70, you still need to apply for it in advance. And if you're traveling with children under 18, you need to apply for it on their behalf. So that's the one you have to do it in advance. There will be a charge for it, and once you have got it, it is valid for either three years or for the length of time left on your passport, whichever one comes first. So if your passport is expiring, say two years after the date, then when you've got your new passport and your new passport number, you would have to apply and pay for a new ETS next time you're going into the EU. Now, I put an email out this week to my subscribers, and I got a couple of people back saying, oh, this website doesn't say it on there, and this doesn't say on here. It's really important that you check only the official ETIAS because all of the other websites that aren't official will be telling you incorrect information, and also it will take them a while to update their pages as well. I highly recommend that you check the official ETIAS. You can also sign up to get alerts for when things do change. But you can also subscribe to my channel and indeed to my email list. I'll leave the link for that below this video so that you can get up-to-date information from a source that you trust rather than a website that has ETIAS in the title but isn't actually an official source. So when is ETIAS actually due to start? That's the bit that we no longer know. So they have always had some sort of date they're aiming for. That has obviously gone out the window. Whether they change it the day after I release this video, who knows? But at the time of recording, there isn't a date on the official ETIAS EES website, whereas that always has been before. That says to me that they have not gone as well as they had hoped, and instead of constantly saying it'll be here and failing that, they are just waiting until EES is up and running, and then that's got to run for 6 months. So I believe when EES is properly up and running, probably over the wintertime when there is a little bit less travel going on, then they can get all of that system up and sorted. So possibly next— Next year? Summer, but honestly, I don't know how much stuff has got to go on behind the scenes. But I just wanted to give you a quick update because you may well see on some websites or on previous videos from me that in the back end of 2026, you will have to apply for this ETIAS visa waiver. That is no longer the case. You do not have to do that. And if you come across a website that is trying to charge you to do that, do not listen to them. You can't do it. You shouldn't do it. You're just going to waste money on something that is not an official document. So I just wanted to make sure that everyone is really clear and aware. If you do know anybody who is traveling into the EU anytime over the next few months, please do send them this video or just let them know, because I want to make sure that nobody gets caught out by any of these scam schemes that are going on. Try saying scam schemes 3 times quickly. That was less than fun. Also, if you are traveling into the EU sometime soon, or even next year, and you're overwhelmed by all the different options for you, I'm doing a workshop beginning of September where I'm going to be sharing some of my favorite places in Europe and who I think they're best for. So I know, especially when you've got a motorhome or a campervan, like, literally you could go anywhere. How the heck are you supposed to choose? It's one of the things that people get most stuck on. So I am narrowing it down to some of the places that I've loved in the past 90,000 miles of touring and sharing whether I think these are good for beginners or perhaps slightly more advanced travelers and the kind of things that you can expect, and also some tips and mistakes to avoid when you're in there. So if you'd like to join me on that workshop, the link for that is below this video. I hope that you can join me, but otherwise I hope this information was useful. If you do want to make sure you're staying up to date on the latest news, don't forget to hit follow or subscribe, whatever the button says for you, so that you can make sure that you stay up to date. Thank you as always for watching, and I'll see you soon. Take care, bye!
