New date for ETIAS you need to buy to get into Spain and Greece

A new date has been set for an extra travel document people going from the UK to 30 countries in Europe will need to have. Plans for the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) coming into force have been delayed multiple times.

ETIAS is a £5.90 document UK travellers will need if they want to get into the EU - including countries like Spain, France, Portugal, Greece and Italy. A similar scheme for EU citizens who want to come into the UK came into force on April 2.

ETIAS was originally planned for introduction shortly after Brexit - in 2022. Most recently it was due to come into force in May this year, 2025.

READ MORE:

READ MORE:

A new Entry Exit System (EES) of technology needs to be deployed across EU airports and borders before ETIAS can be used. EES will mean you need to give fingerprints and facial scans to gain entry to Europe.

ETIAS will be deployed six months after EES is up and running. That means ETIAS is currently set to come into force at the end of 2026.

EES had been due to launch in November 2024 but Germany, France and the Netherlands were not ready. EES could start to come into use in October this year and be fully operational by the middle of 2026.

The UK Government is spending millions ahead of EES - with large new areas to process travellers leaving the UK at Dover and St Pancras.

When ETIAS is in force you will need to buy a new document every three years if you want to visjikt a European country.

The UK's ETA system was first introduced in November 2023. An ETA – which is a digital permission to travel – is currently required for all non-Europeans entering the UK without legal residence rights or a visa.

They became a requirement for Europeans from April 2. Applications for an ETA can be made through the UK ETA app or the gov.uk website.

ETAs are digitally linked to a traveller's passport. The Home Office says they ensure "more robust security checks are carried out before people begin their journey to the UK", which helps prevent "abuse of our immigration system".

Each ETA permits multiple journeys to the UK for stays of up to six months at a time over two years, or until the holder's passport expires if that is sooner.