So, coming hot on the heels of the introduction of the biometric controls for entering Europe (well, the Schengen Area) we are now going to get ETIAS being introduced in the last quarter of this year (2026).

It's the European Travel Information and Authorisation System. https://travel-europe.europa.eu/en/etias - this will be the only place where you can buy it - and it's not accepting payments yet...

We will all need to pay €20 Euros to get 3 years pre-authorised entry to European countries. Under 18s and over 70s are exempt from the fee - but not from getting authorisation.

The ETIAS authorisation is attached to your passport and lasts 3 years. If your passport expires before the 3 years is up, then you have to re-apply (and pay) again. It's worth thinking ahead on this. My passport expires in 2029, so it will expire before the 3 years is up (if I get it done this autumn). If I renew my passport as early as 6 months before expiry (which many countries ask for), then I may well lose a year of ETIAS authorisation. This will not be carried forward to the new passport...

You can't add authorisation to a passport with less than 3 months to run. Nor add it to a passport older than 10 years old.

This scheme applies to any short stay visits. The 90 days in, 90 days out rule we have now will still apply. This is just, basically, an entry tax.

Basically, no ETIAS, no entry to Europe.

Ireland isn't included in this scheme, by the way (would invalidate the Brexit agreement). I think Cyprus is in the ETIAS scheme, but outside the 90 day scheme (it has its own 90 day scheme for all travellers). Confused yet? And no, it's not April 1st...


Simon

Ireland is in Europe so they wouldn't pay.
Europeans have to pay to enter the U.K.
All a bit tit for tat if you ask me.

The Ireland "thing" is because we Brits won't need to pay - or have - ETIAS to enter Ireland from Northern Ireland (UK), because of the post-Brexit agreement there and the "open" border...