The European Union has once again postponed the launch date of the European Travel Information and Authorisation System (ETIAS), EU sources have confirmed.
While so far, the EU has continuously claimed the ETIAS would become operational by mid-2024, an EU official has confirmed for SchengenVisaInfo.com that the go-live date for ETIAS has now been delayed to May 2025.
We had initially hoped for the EES to become operational by the end of this year or, at the latest, the beginning of the next year. Due to unforeseen delays, it has become evident that this timeline is unattainable. As a result, the implementation of the ETIAS has been rescheduled to May 2025, with the possibility of further postponement.
The Entry /Exit System (EES) is another EU border security system, an automated IT system that, in the future, will register travellers from third countries each time they cross an EU external border. The system has been continuously postponed alongside the ETIAS.
Both systems are deeply linked. Though the Entry/Exit can function properly without the ETIAS, it is impossible for the latter to become operational without the EES.
Anitta Hipper, the EU Commission’s Spokesperson for Home Affairs, Migration and Internal Security, had previously confirmed for SchengenVisaInfo.com that the ETIAS cannot become effective without the EES.
The entry into operation of ETIAS can only take place five to six months after the entry into operation of the EES.
The postponement of the ETIAS has also been confirmed by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. According to the same, the launch of the ETIAS is planned for 2025, without specifying a more precise period when that is supposed to happen.
On the other hand, the Swiss State Secretariat for Migration has pointed out that the scheme will not become operational before May 2025, which means it might be postponed at an even later date.
Currently, the ETIAS go-live is expected in May 2025 at the earliest.
The EU Commission’s Directorate-General for Migration and Home Affairs, however, does not give an exact date for the ETIAS implementation yet.
The date of the entry into operation of ETIAS is not yet known. It is expected to be announced at the end of 2023.
The EES implementation date remains 2024, with the eu-LISA expected to come up with an exact date in the following months before the end of the year.
Back in July, the Belgian delegation to the Working Party on Frontiers and Mixed Committee suggested through a non-paper the decoupling of the ETIAS with other databases in order to make it possible to become effective in May 2024. No movement has been made towards this proposal so far.
