On 28 September 2026, Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2026/1970 formally entered into effect, establishing detailed procedures for accessing, amending and erasing personal data stored in the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS). Although adopted on 7 September, the decision’s legal force began today, giving Member States—including France—90 days to align border-control software and staff protocols. Key measures specify standardised electronic forms for travellers seeking to correct data, maximum response times for national ETIAS units (21 days) and a strict audit trail for every data change, logged in the Central System managed by eu-LISA. The decision also introduces an “advance erasure” mechanism permitting automatic deletion of refused authorisation records after five years, a safeguard welcomed by privacy advocates. For France, the timing is critical: Paris airports handled 6.3 million visa-exempt third-country nationals this summer, and border police are racing to integrate ETIAS with the already-operational Entry/Exit System (EES). The Interior Ministry confirmed that the new data-management scripts will be rolled out first at Charles-de-Gaulle and Orly during the All Saints holiday, before extending to land and sea borders. Corporate mobility programmes should update pre-travel briefings: employees who receive a negative ETIAS decision now have clearer channels to contest errors. Travel-management companies can also request batch-status updates via the system’s Application Programming Interface (API), reducing last-minute refusals at boarding gates. Failure to comply could carry sanctions. The decision obliges Member States to report implementation progress to the Commission within six months. Airlines departing from French airports may be fined up to €5,000 per inadmissible passenger if boarding occurs without a valid, up-to-date ETIAS authorisation. Companies scheduling group movements into France for Q4 should therefore reconfirm each traveller’s status 96 hours before departure.
Source: EUR-Lex Official Journal
