Global travel-management company FCM issued a fresh briefing on 30 July confirming that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) is still slated to go live in the last quarter of 2026. Although ETIAS is an EU-wide scheme, it will be acutely felt in Italy: Rome’s airports handle more than 17 million visa-exempt arrivals annually, and carriers such as ITA Airways and Ryanair will have to verify the new authorisation at check-in. ETIAS is not a visa, but non-EU travellers—including UK, US, Canadian and Australian nationals—will have to complete an online form, pay a €20 fee and receive digital approval before boarding flights to any of the 30 participating states. FCM’s advisory warns Italian-based corporates to update traveller-profile tools and duty-of-care messaging now, because after a 12-month transition period border police will deny entry to passengers without a valid ETIAS. Key operational details remain in flux: Brussels has yet to publish the exact launch date or airline-carrier interface specifications. However, most applications are expected to be cleared “within minutes”; only cases triggering security or over-stay alerts could take up to 30 days. The authorisation will be valid for three years—or until the passport expires—allowing multiple 90/180-day stays. The Italian context matters. Entry-Exit System (EES) biometric kiosks installed at Fiumicino, Malpensa and Venice have already doubled processing times for some long-haul flights; adding ETIAS data checks is likely to create further congestion unless more staff and e-gates are deployed. HR mobility teams should therefore audit their expatriate and frequent-traveller populations, earmark budget for the €20 fee, and prepare FAQs to counter a surge in phishing sites already advertising fake ‘Italian ETIAS visas.’ Practical steps suggested by FCM include: (1) capturing travellers’ passport expiry dates to flag when a new ETIAS will be required; (2) briefing travel approvers that last-minute bookings may fail if authorisation is still pending; and (3) liaising with immigration counsel on whether crew members and posted workers on Italian assignment will qualify for facilitated procedures under EU Regulation 2018/1806.
Source: FCM Travel
