British holiday-makers and business travellers have won an unexpected reprieve after Brussels pushed back the launch of its European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) for a third time. According to an update confirmed on 13 January and published on 14 January, the €20 pre-travel permit will now go live only in the last quarter of 2026 and will not become mandatory until April 2027 following a six-month soft-launch.
EU officials blamed technical hurdles linking ETIAS to the biometric Entry/Exit System (EES), which itself is still being rolled out across Schengen airports and ports. Spain—one of the first countries to pilot EES kiosks—pressed hardest for a delay after reporting hour-long queues during holiday peaks. Airlines also lobbied for more time to retrofit departure-control software that must verify ETIAS status before boarding.
For travellers looking to stay ahead of these shifting requirements, VisaHQ offers a handy solution: the company’s UK platform (https://www.visahq.com/united-kingdom/) provides real-time travel eligibility checks, customised email alerts and, once live, will facilitate ETIAS applications alongside a full suite of visa and passport services, taking the guesswork out of cross-border compliance.
For UK companies the postponement removes an immediate administrative burden: corporate booking tools will not need to capture ETIAS reference numbers this year, and travel budgets can defer the €20 per-person fee. Mobility managers should, however, continue to educate assignees about the coming change and ensure passports are valid for at least three months beyond departure, a core EES rule that remains in force.
Travel trade groups welcomed the breathing space but warned that a hard deadline in 2027 could still collide with Britain’s own Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) enforcement date of 25 February 2026, creating a “double whammy” of new checks in quick succession. They urged both sides to coordinate messaging to avoid confusion at airports and borders.
In practical terms, UK citizens visiting the EU will continue to rely on the 90/180-day visa-free rule with passport stamping until the digital systems are live. The Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office said it will refresh its “Travel Aware” guidance once the EU publishes a definitive timeline.
