The European Union has once again delayed the launch of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), this time until 2024 without specifying a definite date or even a month.
It is anticipated that the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS) will be operational by 2024, according to the EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs website’s FAQ section.
The launch date of ETIAS was postponed without prior notification to the media or the general public.
The EU Commission’s Migration and Home Affairs website currently identifies travel-europe.europa.eu/etias en and travel-europe.europa.eu/ees en as the official ETIAS and Entry/Exit System websites, respectively (EES).
The latter was likewise scheduled to take effect in May 2023, but its implementation has been delayed until the end of the year. The precise timing of the EES rollout is also unknown.
Both the ETIAS and EES were established by the EU in an effort to increase security within the bloc and keep track of those who plan to enter, enter, and exit EU and Schengen Area territory. Both will revolutionise travel to and from of the bloc.
It is anticipated that the ETIAS will impact 1.4 billion people from over 60 nations that now travel to the 27 Schengen Area countries without a short-stay visa, including as Americans, British, Albanians, New Zealanders, Canadians, etc.
The original launch schedule for ETIAS was 2022, but it was pushed to the end of the same year. Later, the date this requirement becomes mandatory for travellers was moved to May 1, 2023, and without warning or explanation, the ETIAS requirement was further delayed until November 2023.
