Euronews reported on 8 July that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS)—a €20 electronic visa waiver for visa-exempt nationals—faces another postponement, possibly to 2027. Unnamed French and German officials told the Financial Times that member states want at least 12 months of “stable” EES operations before adding another layer of checks. French airports are among the hardest hit by EES teething problems, and Paris fears introducing ETIAS this winter would trigger further congestion just as the country prepares for the 2027 Rugby World Cup. DGAC sources say they would need to quadruple e-gate capacity or redeploy 500 officers from other duties—both costly options. A delayed ETIAS rollout buys time for technology upgrades but complicates travel-risk planning for multinationals. Many firms had already budgeted for reimbursing staff ETIAS fees and were updating internal booking tools to capture the authorisation number. Those projects may now be shelved, adding uncertainty to compliance roadmaps. Travel-management companies (TMCs) advise keeping ETIAS fields in booking profiles but flagging them as “not yet active,” to avoid a last-minute scramble once a new go-live date is confirmed. French tour operators, meanwhile, worry the delay prolongs the period during which long-haul visitors remain confused about future entry rules, potentially dampening demand. The Commission declined to confirm the new timeline, reiterating only that ETIAS will not start until “after summer 2026 at the earliest.”
Source: Euronews
